DREAM
by Lightning Hebi
Summary: Set in some time close to the story of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, follow the tale of Lightning, a rather unlikely hero and his two friends, Blaze and Myst, as they battle against an evil organisation bent on protecting a twisted 'justice' they claim to uphold.
1. Deep Sleep

_The soul is dyed the colour of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny ... it is the light that guides your way. - _Heraclitus

**Chapter I - Deep Sleep**

Lightning. That thing so feared by men and creatures alike, it strikes quicker than the eye can see. Blink one second, and it is gone. "He's getting away!"…"Sir, we can't keep up…"…"Shut up you fool! Don't tell me what you can and can't do! JUST DO IT!"

Lightning. That thing that passes unnoticed day by day, until it takes the life of another. Growing with intensity in both power and sadness. "Sir! We've located her position!"… "Damn it! Don't come to me with such useless information, come to me with results!"

Lightning. The power to kill a being, no matter how strong they make themselves out to be. Strength does not matter, only the Truth. "Sir…"… "YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOTS! How many times do I have to tell you that…huh?"

As the captain turned around to catch a glimpse of the presence behind him, he was caught on the tip of a sword. "Rest easy, captain. It's all over now…" the mysterious voice whispered, lowering the captain down as he struggled to find words. "What…why me? What have you done-?" As the voice of the captain of the 8th Regiment of Celeste breathed his last, the figure behind him, masked and unemotional, waited for the uproar to begin.

As the soldiers under the command of the captain slowly turned around to see why the captain hadn't shouted at them for once, they each took a gasp of breath, the sounds building up into one unanimous cry. "Captain…CAPTAIN?" As the figure made his way to the back of the room, the soldiers left their Security Terminal Matrix and followed the stairs up to the raised platform where the former captain had been.

"So glad you could join me. Sorry about the mess, I just thought the room could do with a little colour. 'Tis a bit bland, don't you think?" The figure smirked, showing no remorse for the killing of the regiment's captain. As one fury stricken soldier picked up the deceased captain's ace card, he could do little else but sacrifice himself to summon it. Unfortunately, the sacrifice seemed not to be enough, as a few of the man's fellow comrades collapsed to the floor, blood draining from their skin. The soldier screamed a blood curdling howl, as he was disfigured, deformed and then reformed into the terrifying shape of a humanoid reptile, with a giant scythe. Finding its feet, it managed to crush a few of the STM terminals and stumble backwards down the raised platform, its scythe taking a huge chunk out of the ceiling.

Bodies fell with a sickening squish, the research laboratory had been upstairs and now the corpses of some techies were embedded into the ground. The monster cried once more, almost in sorrow, as it looked upon the body of it's former master. "Things have gotten way too serious," the masked figure said, removing said mask to reveal his true identity, his blonde hair shimmering in the dim light given off by the remaining STMs. A CIPHER, sent to survey the source of the alarm, almost captured a sight of the figure, but he swiftly drew a card and drew on the energy required to summon it. The door opened, and a hand reached out to grab him. "LIGHTNING!" the girl screamed, as Lightning, with his signature smirk, clicked his fingers.

**"Transformation Summon!"**


	2. Nightmare

**Chapter 2 - Nightmare**

The sound of clicking fingers resonated throughout the now quiet research building. It was a small sound, but if you listened out for it, you could hear the surge of energy rushing forward. Lightning's heart increased it's pace as he closed his eyes and let the energy come over him. He had only done this once before, and had nearly died because of it. But now he was more experienced, now he could control this power. And now, his life and the life of his friend was on the line. Just like that time before…

With a flourish of his hand, a large spear appeared from the sky and proceeded to fall downwards. Grabbing on to it, he jumped into the air as that brilliant white light, most often mistaken for lightning, filled the dull security room. Even the monster was dazed for a few seconds, as Lightning picked himself up off the floor, and stared at the monster dead in the eyes. The girl looked up in amazement, she never knew her partner could do something like this. But that only meant one thing, one thing he had done wrong in the past. "Gaia, the Fierce Knight" she whispered quietly. She could recognise the chivalrous knight anywhere, even in this dim lighting. After all, it had saved her life once before. She looked across to see the monster, which she had ignored up until now due to her concern for Lightning. Gasping, she looked at it's horrifying head, snarling and covered in the blood of those who had been sacrificed to summon it. She prayed, because that was all she could do.

The monster had no time for flashy special effects, as it crudely picked up it's scythe and whacked it down at the ground, sending piles of debris - and flying bodies - at Lightning. Smirking all the while, Lightning didn't bother, or probably even realise he was now 2 feet taller, and covered head to toe in a violet armour. Moving with movements that didn't seem to be his own, he charged forward at the monster, getting bombarded by the flying pieces of debris. The armour helped to reduce it's impact, but he could still feel the pain. His resolve was strong though, as he prepared his lance, and thrust at the monster's leathery skin. It would be lucky if he managed to hit the monster's skin, after all, it too was covered in a thick armour. Unlike his though, there were areas that were exposed, such as the legs and a bit of the chest. A rather satisfying noise of metal piercing flesh was heard, but Lightning was surprised as he was thrown to the side, slamming into the wall.

"Ugh…not too good." he muttered, peeling himself off the wall as he looked up to see the reptile standing tall, the spot where he had stabbed it gushing with blood. Lightning wondered if he had damaged it at all, but the monster prepared itself once more, readying itself for an over head smash with its scythe. Lightning was still a bit shell shocked from being hurled against a wall, and could do little else but hold his lance above himself to protect him. The blow was powerful indeed, almost crushing his arms as the ground gave way beneath him, and he slowly sank into it. As Lightning struggled to keep his balance, the monster leaned forward, putting more pressure on him. At any moment, Lightning's legs would give way, and he would be crushed under the force of the giant scythe. Making his decision in an instant, Lightning took the risky move of letting go of his lance and rolling along the floor. It seemed to work, as he scurried away and the monster plunged itself into the ground. Stuck and immobilised, Lightning had an opportunity to strike, but his legs were like jelly. He found himself frozen to the spot. Had he reached his limits already? A whisper danced through the wind, but Lightning could hear it still.

_If only…If only I could protect you, Lightning._

Lightning looked up to the raised platform, unaware that his foe had regained it's breath and was preparing to strike again. Perhaps foolishly, Lightning focused all his attention on the girl who had been standing there all this time, the girl he had accepted as his partner in crime. She had her eyes closed, and was standing, almost reverently in her black jump suit. She looked ready to cry. The monster could do without petty emotional filler, as it charged once more. Finally noticing he still hadn't gotten rid of this creature, Lightning raised his arms in defence. He slid backward a few inches, his gauntlets taking the brunt of the force from the monster's charging attack. The momentum was too strong though, as Lightning's legs, still hurting from that attack before, gave way and he crumpled to the floor. The monster, with a gleeful grin, stamped on his armour, crushing him into the ground and kicked him into the wall once more, with tremendous power. The building shook as bodies fell from the large gap in the ceiling.

_Lightning…I'll do this. For you._

Closing his eyes, his energy spent, Lightning fell unconscious on the floor. He felt the energy leave his body and rush through the ground. The knight's armour began to shine a bright light as it disappeared into nothingness, Lightning growing shorter as he reverted back to his human form. Still in his white soldier's uniform which he had infiltrated the facility with, he looked up for a final time to see Myst, standing up to the fearsome reptile like monster. With outstretched arms, she stood defiant, even if she could not keep her composure and feelings from overflowing. Lightning didn't like to leave his comrade in such a pickle as this, but it was all he could do. He felt guilty, that she would be left on her on, all alone, once again. Resting his head against the floor, darkness falling over him, he opened his mouth to speak final words of encouragement.

"I believe in you, Myst…"

Drying her eyes, Myst looked down on the bruised and battered Lightning behind her. His face was covered in blood as it ran down his forehead. His legs looked twisted and broken, and his arms were bruised like peaches. She could hardly speak as she felt such sorrow for the condition he was forced to be in, as she thanked Lightning with gracious words. She stared at the monster in the eyes, those sickening yellow eyes, with no pupils. She could tell, that even if this monster wanted to revert back to it's human form, it would be impossible. She surveyed the scene of devastation in the security room, at least twenty or so bodies littered around the floor, most of them from the research room upstairs. The soldiers who were sacrificed to summon this monstrosity were now but shells of their former selves, crushed into the ground by the trampling of the monsters feet. The monster looked sad for a second, looking up to the raised platform to see the captain slumped and lifeless. Myst could see what seemed to be a tear in it's eye. Was it the soldier who summoned the monster, or the monster itself that was crying? It snapped it's eyes back to Myst, screaming once more and leaving a residual smell of it's terrible breath before picking up its scythe. She could not hold back her feelings anymore.

**"LEAVE US ALONE!"**

Tears scattered across the floor. Myst couldn't hear the sliding of a door as she feared for both her and Lightning's lives. She couldn't hear anything or see anything, just frozen in time. Touch, smell, sight, sound, all these senses had gone as she was left in pitch black. One question was all that her brain could force itself to think about. _Am I dead?_

"Get back, Myst! Run!". Sound returned to her first. That familiar voice, deep and husky, like the words had been scorched in a fire, and that monster's ever sickening roars and cries. Bursts of light illuminated the dark room, as the man, clothed in a red overcoat with his jet black hair, ran in front of Myst and Lightning, and spots of blackish-red littered the floor. Sight the second sense to return to her. Bending down to pick up Lightning, she felt the man put his hand on her back, and she gripped it tightly. Touch. As she ran away, with Lightning in her arms she could smell that ever pungent cologne that he used, even over the stench of gunpowder. The truth was, she actually liked it. Smell, the final sense.

Myst turned around at the door, looking down upon her life long friend fighting one of her battles for her, once again. Spying her out of the corner of his eye, the man winked at her, quickly weaving in and out of view as he dodged the monster's blows. "Keep strong, Ken!" she shouted, before exiting the room. As the door shut behind her, she heard the faint echo of the man's reply.

"My name is Blaze, damn it!"


	3. Insomnia

**III - Insomnia**

Myst was scared. Not for herself, but for her friends in this place. Blaze had taken on the monster for himself, and Lightning was unconscious on her back. She could feel and hear the blood dripping down her back and falling onto the floor. They needed to get out of here, no matter the cost. A friend's life is surely more important than the lives of others…? She slumped against the wall as she slid down it, the cold metal surface helping to cool her down as she laid Lightning down beside her, checking his condition. From just one little battle, he had sustained multiple injuries and a few broken bones from the look of it. She could tell he hadn't used that trick in a while, which was a good sign. There weren't any sounds coming from the immediate vicinity, so she could possibly rest a while. There was no indication as to how far she had walked, or where she was even going. All that guided her was the blue light tracing up and down the small indentation in the floor. It had been passing through many of the white, futuristic rooms, but where did it lead to?

Regaining her strength, she pulled Lighting up and onto her back once more. Her feet buckled slightly, he was so much heavier and bigger than her but she had to push on for both their sakes. As the door slid back once she crossed the motion sensing device, a long corridor with many different deviations was revealed. At the end, a group of 10 or more soldiers, clad in white uniforms, guns at the ready. A red light blinded her for a second, as she realised dozens of small red dots had appeared on her clothes. There was no way they could miss her now.

"Put down the survivor, and surrender quietly." A voice announced, as a man with long and spiky blue hair stepped forward. His bangs swayed with every movement he took, as he brushed his fringe out of his face. "I don't know what you are thinking, but the consequences for your actions will not be light. Breaking into this facility, injuring our personel and summoning that monster…I didn't think a girl such as you could possess such 'talents'." Myst stared at the man as the soldier's remained fixed in their positions, their guns trained on her and primed to fire if she took even the slightest movement. She faltered slightly in her speech, "I-I don't know what you're talking about. I just want to get my friend out of here…" The man looked puzzled, as he took a few more steps forward. "Friend? You mean that isn't…? Oho, what luck. Looks like we've just found two intruders. Only two more remain." He smiled slightly as he folded his arms behind his back and turning around to walk out the door on the other side. "Eliminate both of them." Myst looked surprised as she tried to call out, "Wait…two? There's only…"

Bursts of gunfire exploded in the corridor as she was never heard over the sound of them. She felt a cold feeling, like the energy in her body was rushing out of her. Her legs faltered and she fell to the ground. The impact from the bullets had swivelled her body around, allowing her to see Lightning for perhaps the final time. She stretched out her hand. "Don't leave me."

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

Blaze gasped for air as he fell on his knees, the monster releasing one final roar as it collapsed. After a few seconds, he picked himself up off the ground and looked at the scenes of devastation around him. The ceiling was crumbling, broken terminals were scattered about, dangerous levels of electricity were discharging into the room and a tonne of bodies littered the floor. It shouldn't have to be like this…we came to save people, not hurt them. He walked over to the now fallen monster. It's head was turned sideways, looking up to the raised platform. Blaze didn't care to search for what it had looked at before it had died. He picked up Richard, who had been cast aside when the monster had struck him. It looked a bit battered, but it still functioned. Putting it in it's rightful place, next to Judy, he gathered his strength as he walked out to the corridor connecting the Research Block to the rest of the main building. It would be a tall ordeal, but he needed to get to the other side, towards the Life Science Centre. Luckily, Lightning had taken out the main security division, so the enemy was relatively blind for now. Time was on his side for now, as it would take the other security divisions some time to realise what had just happened. Blaze set off for his destination, his crimson jacket flowing behind him as he ran down the corridor, following the blue light towards the Life Science Centre.

As he reached the connection corridor, he was met with a horrifying site. Myst and Lightning were lying on the floor, covered in blood. He looked up to see a group of soldiers at the end of the corridor, as well as a rather tall man with blue hair. "Oh, another one? They just keep coming." The man shrugged slightly as he giggled to himself. Blaze wouldn't remember what had happened in the next couple of seconds, but that didn't stop him from firing Richard and Judy at all of the soldiers before they even had a chance to aim. He came back to his senses, as the man with blue hair looked shocked, if only for a second. "Oh I see, not totally powerless. Well, I guess you could kill me." He muttered as Blaze strode forward, picking him up by the collar, and throwing him against the wall. The man stared up at him as he reached inside his black Kevlar vest for something. "Or we could do this more civilly, through a duel?" He shook two vials of a strange green liquid, as Blaze stared down at him, his two guns trembling in his hands. The man stood up and began walking towards the dome that both of them could see through the glass ceiling of the corridor. "That's more like it. You know what is in these vials don't you? A powerful medical remedy, probably the most powerful remedy known to man. I carry a few of these around in case of emergencies. Rumour has it, it can even revive the dead, as long as they died recently."

Both of them walked forward into the dome. It was much bigger than the outside seemed to suggest, as there was a giant pillar in front of them, holding the massive structure up. A green glow surrounded it, as Blaze realised that there was a tanker of liquid built around the pillar, with a platform to either side. "This place is the pride and joy of the Celeste Research Facilities. A lot of public spending has gone into this place, and this is the result. Impressive isn't it? Come, we'll have our duel above the RPC." The man pointed at the green tanker of liquid, as he and Blaze walked towards the different platforms. The man smiled, as he tapped a few commands into the computer in front of him. The sound of wind rushed past Blaze, as he realised chains had clamped onto his arms and legs. The pillar in front of him also descended into the tanker below them, disappearing into the green liquid as black titanium walls shot up from different indentations around the floor surrounding the tanker. "Just what the hell is this?" Blaze said, as he pulled the chains to reach for his guns. The man made a tutting noise and wagged his finger, as Blaze screamed in pain. He looked down to see his flesh burning slightly.

"These chains are wired to a electrical current that supplies this dome with all it's electrical needs. I'd say the voltage wired to these chains is well over 30 volts. I'm sure sustained exposure to that kind of voltage will induce heart fibrillation…that's a heart attack if you didn't know. I'd turn it up much higher, but I'd say anything over 50 volts would cause heart failure right away, and that's just no fun now, is it? Oh, no guns now, otherwise I'll whack up the voltage before you even get a chance to shoot. I've got to look out for my own safety, wouldn't you agree? They call this place the Rebirthing Pool Cage. Fitting name, indeed." The man smiled fiendishly as he revealed a belt strapped across his waist. It was black in colour, which probably was why Blaze hadn't distinguished it from the man's vest before. The man slid a deck into it and it came to life, shuffling his deck randomly. Blaze breathed in as he recovered from the shock, before sliding the sleeve of his jacket and shirt up to his elbow. Attached to his wrist, his duel disk was in it's standby mode. Pressing a button, Blaze slid his deck into it as he held it out in front of him, the duel disk sliding out into a full sized one. It gleamed with a gold shine.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

Duel 1! - For a Friend - Blaze vs. Captain ?  
Blaze: 8000  
?: 8000

Both players drew their starting hands, as Blaze drew his sixth card. He looked up at the man who was still smirking. "Since I plan to defeat you, I'd at least like to know your name. My name is Blaze." The man shrugged once more, "I don't see any harm in exchanging pleasantries, I am Acting-Captain Lucien. The previous Captain was slain by that fiend your friends summoned…" Blaze looked at him puzzled, before realising that he had mistaken the summoning of that monster as an attack on the Research Block. He looked down at his hand once more, before picking up a card in his hand. "I set two cards face down, and end my turn." As the cards floated over the top of the green liquid, Lucien smiled as he drew another card. He then placed one of them on his duelling belt. "I summon Ray - Merdional to the field in attack position!" A small robot with two arms appeared, it seemed to have a yellow headlight at the centre of it's body, while the rest of it was made up of red coloured metal. Lucien pointed forward at Blaze, "Battle! Optical Axis!" The robot responded to the call, and shot a concentrated beam of light at Blaze. "Reverse card, open! Macro Cosmos!" The ray impacted with something, and smoke cleared from the area as Blaze stood standing, no damage to his life points, and a new monster on his field. "Macro Cosmos allows me to summon 1 Ancient Sun Helios to the field from my deck. I also reveal the Trap card, First Process - Nigredo. During the Battle Phase, I can negate 1 attack and destroy the monster with the highest attack on the field. Thanks to Macro Cosmos' effect, my Trap card is removed from play, as well as any other card. Now my Nigredo's second effect will activate, when it's removed from play instead of being sent to the Graveyard, I can draw 1 card!" Lucien glared at Blaze as his monster's attack had turned on itself, destroying it and allowing Blaze to draw a card. He picked a further two cards. "I set these cards face down."

Blaze nodded, drawing a card. "By removing the top 5 cards of my deck from play, I can Special Summon Red Homunculus to the field in attack position!" A human like figure, made of red stone appeared in front of Blaze, as his Helios grew in power. "My Helios' attack is based on the number of monsters removed from play! Since there are 3 monsters removed from play, it gains 300 attack." With a flourish, Blaze pointed at his opponent. "Battle! Red Homunculus, attack!" The monster flew forward, preparing to strike. It's fist came down with a heavy smash, as Lucien fell on one knee. It was then, that Blaze noticed a flashing white text appear on his duel disk. LIMITERS REMOVED. "Heh, yes that's right…I removed the duel disk's function to protect the user from the electrical currents running through the duel disk. Of course, even with the limiters removed, it's barely 1 volt of electricity running through this disk, but it's enough to simulate the pain that holograms can create. Of course in your case, it will be amplified quite a bit…" Lucien smiled once more, snapping his fingers as his Trap card opened up. "Face down! Skew - Transverse Ray!" Another robot, similar to Lucien's previous one, appeared on the field, but it was much larger than before. "When I receive Battle Damage from an attack, this card allows me to Special Summon 1 of my removed from play Ray monsters, and increase it's attack equal to half the battle damage I received." Lucien smiled evilly, as his monster gained 800 ATK, enough to make it stronger than both Blaze's monsters combined. Conversely, Blaze's Ancient Sun Helios dropped to just 200 ATK.

Blaze: 8000 (Red Homunculus - 1600/0, Ancient Sun Helios - 0 → 200/0 → 200)  
Lucien: 8000 → 6400 (Ray - Merdional - 1200 → 2000/300)

Lucien pressed another button on his duel disk, as a Trap card raised up from it's set position. "Trap card, Concentration Beam!" A spotlight shone upon Helios, presumably hurting whatever it used to see with. "This card forces one of my monsters to attack your monster with the lowest attack! Go, Ray - Merdional, Optical Axis!" A concentrated laser beam shot out from the robot once more, but instead of heading for Helios, the beam veered off course and struck Homunculus instead. "My Homunculus' effect! If a monster would battle with Helios, my Red Homunculus is selected as the attack target instead. Also, by removing from play 2 cards in my hand, I can Special Summon 1 Blue Homunculus to the field when Red Homunculus is destroyed!" Blaze picked out a card from pocket, where he kept his removed from play cards, and placed the Blue Homunculus on the field. With 3 cards left in his hand, Blaze placed one card face down. "I end my turn."

Lucien nodded, slightly annoyed by his opponent's counter moves. Drawing another card, he looked down at his hand, before placing a card on his duel belt. "With a face up Wave-type monster on my field, I can Special Summon this! Appear, Chief Ray!" A larger robot still appeared in front of Lucien, the centre of it's body appearing to be a complex light chamber. Lucien picked up another card, "Since that was just a Special Summon, I can Normal Summon my Ray - Tangential and equip it to my Chief Ray, giving it 1000 ATK!" A small, purple robot appeared behind Lucien's larger Chief Ray, and detached it's limbs as the light chamber it held floated up and fused with Chief Ray's. "Battle! Due to Tangential effect, my Chief Ray can only attack Blue Homunculus. Converge Point Beam!" Blaze dropped to the floor as the electricity coursed through his body. He could feel his heart skipping beats and he felt physically sick. How could he possibly stop this method of duelling? He would have to win quickly. Standing up, he picked another monster from his pocket. "When Blue Homunculus is destroyed by battle, by removing the top 3 cards of my deck, I can Special Summon Green Homunculus to the field." Another Homunculus appeared, this time seemingly made of earth and clay. Lucien grinned once more, as his other monster, Merdional floated directly in front of Blaze. "Battle! Merdional, Optical Axis!" Lucien pointed at Blaze, and the monster attacked directly, wiping a large chunk out of Blaze's life points. "Oh, did I forget to mention? Merdional can attack the opponent directly if a monster doesn't exist in the opposite monster zone." Lucien wagged a finger at Blaze again, as he crouched on the floor. He didn't know if he had the strength to keep going anymore…

Blaze: 8000 → 7600 → 5000 → 3000 (Green Homunculus - 1400/0, Ancient Sun Helios - 200 → 400 → 600/ 200 → 400 → 600)  
Lucien: 6400 (Chief Ray - 2100 → 3100/700 + Ray - Tangential - 1000/1000, Ray - Merdional - 2000, 700)

Confident of his assured victory, Lucien passed play over to his opponent. Just 3 cards in hand. He needed to turn this around. "Reveal, Magic card. Second Process - Albedo! If I control a face up Homunculus monster, I can Special Summon up to 2 other Homunculi from my removed from play. I Special Summon Red Homunculus and Blue Homunculus!" Blaze placed the cards on his duel disk, as he held out his hand. "Green Homunculus' effect will now activate! With all 3 of my Homunculi on the field, I can sacrifice them all to Special Summon 1 Golden Homunculus from my deck! Perform, Transmutation!" The 3 Homunculi roared together, as a light shone out from each of them, combining together to reveal a new Golden Homunculus on the field. "Battle! Golden Homunculus, attack Merdional Ray! Golden Harvest!" A large fist was sent careering for Lucien's monster as his life points dropped dramatically. Placing one card face down, Blaze ended his turn once more.

Blaze: 3000, RFG: 14 (Golden Homunculus - 1500 → 5700/1500 → 5700, Ancient Sun Helios - 600 → 700/600 → 700)  
Lucien: 6400 → 2700 (Chief Ray - 3100/700 + Ray Tangential - 1000/1000)

Lucien glared at Blaze as he took his turn. Looking down at his relatively full hand, Lucien moved Ray - Tangential from his Magic and Trap Zone back to the Monster Zone. Holding up a card, he announced his next move. "I activate the Magic card, Atrocious Day - Incident Ray! By sacrificing 2 of my Wave-type 'Ray' monsters, I can Special Summon Incident Ray to the field from my deck." Lucien did just that, sending both his monsters to the Graveyard to summon a large mechanical robot, with features of a dragon. It seemed to have orbs at either end of it's wings, and the centre of it's body was made up of a large optical chamber. Blaze could guess it had a high ATK. "Now I activate the Continuous Magic, Marginal Buster Ray!" As he did so, Lucien's dragon took flight above the pool of green liquid. It floated directly above this new Magic card, as a yellow glow surrounded it. "Marginal Buster Ray's effect allows my Ray monster's to attack you directly, as long as the total combined attack of all your monsters on the field is higher than my card!" Lucien pointed forward at Blaze.

"Incident Ray has 3000 attack points! This will be a perfect finish, as always. Incident Ray, attack him directly! Surface Bombard!" Lucien smiled again as his mechanical dragon charged up a bright orb of yellow energy. Blaze knew that if he was hit by this attack, the voltage in his duel disk would rocket up to symbolise such a powerful attack, and with the chains on his arms and legs acting as conductors, he would surely die. "Dance in hell, you damned vermin!" Lucien shouted, as the dragon released the orb and it headed straight for Blaze. This is it. I'm one step closer to victory. "Reverse card, open! Third Process - Citrinitas!" A yellow sun appeared behind Blaze, as the attack changed course and instead hit his Golden Homunculus, dragging it down into the pool of liquid below. "By removing from play 1 card in my hand and 1 monster on the field, I can end the Battle Phase. If I have an Ancient Sun Helios on the field, I can also sacrifice it to Special Summon Helios Duo Megistus!" Lucien cursed loudly, "You idiot, you think I would fall for something like that? Quick Play Magic, Ferocious Ray! By discarding 1..." Lucien's voice trailed off, as he realised his duel belt hadn't accepted the card he played. "What is this…?" Blaze wagged a finger at him, as he informed him, "My Trap card is a Counter Trap, therefore you cannot chain to it with a Quick Play Magic." The Ancient Sun on Blaze's side of the field nodded, as it infused itself with the power of the yellow sun behind Blaze, transforming into a slightly larger version, with one sun orbiting the larger one. Lucien looked furious, as he conceded his turn by playing 2 cards face down.

Blaze: 3000 RFG:17 (Helios Duo Megistus - ? → 2000/ ? → 2000)  
Lucien: 2700 (Incident Ray - 3000/2500)

"You're finished here, Lucien. I will take that medicine for my friends. I won't give up, because my friends need me. Simply put, I only fight for my friends." Blaze drew a card, as he tuned out of listening to Lucien's protests. "I activate the Magic card Chaos Greed! I can draw 2 cards, as long as there are 4 or more cards in my removed from play zone, and there are no cards in my Graveyard." As Blaze looked down upon his hand, he knew his need to win for his friends had come through for him. "This is it. The true power of my deck, and the power that will help me win this fight. Magic card, Final Process - Rubedo!" Blaze slotted the card into his duel disk, as a large red sun grew behind him. "I have finally achieved the unity between man and god. This is the final process of alchemy, by removing from play all cards in my hand, I can sacrifice a Helios Duo Megistus on my field, to Special Summon Helios Trice Megistus!" Lucien cackled wildly, as he pressed a button on his duel disk. "I thought you would have learned from last time, I have a card that can negate yours! Go, Quick Play Magic, Ferocious Ray! By discarding 1 Ray monster from my hand, I can negate the activation and effect of one of your cards! There's nothing you can do, with no cards in your hand or cards on the field to help you! I win!" Blaze looked down at the ground, as a card had fallen out of his pocket. Picking it up, he showed it to Lucien. "Not quite." he said simply, as his 2nd Helios bonded itself with the power of the red sun, it's own limited power becoming that of unlimited power.

Once it had finished, Helios Duo Megistus had been transmuted into Helios Trice Megistus, a group of 3 small feminine monsters, that circled around the Macro Cosmos. "What? Why didn't my Magic go through?" Lucien shouted, looking down at his duel belt. It hadn't rejected the card this time. "My Magic card, Aid from the Different Dimension." Blaze held up the card once again. "While this card exists in my removed from play zone, once during the duel, while I have no cards in my hand and no cards in the graveyard, I can negate the effect of a card you control. This duel, I selected your Ferocious Ray." Blaze ignored Lucien's outcries once more, as he raised a hand and pointed over to his monster. "I have tapped into the power of the unlimited, a thing that all alchemists wish to achieve. By fulfilling this process, I have allowed my monster to come to unity with the universe! Now, attack, Helios Trice Megistus! Phoenix Prominence!" The three monsters giggled slightly, as they began to spin rapidly, forming a fiery Phoenix that rivalled the size of the mechanical dragon before it. It rushed forward, but Lucien made 1 final attempt at saving himself. "Reverse card, Holy Barrier - Mirror Force! Now your attack will be reflected back, and your monster destroyed!" Blaze shook his head in disappointment, as the attack continued, shattering the holy barrier like it was nothing. "Your cheap tricks can't rival the power I've unleashed. Final Process - Rubedo prevents Helios Trice Megistus from being destroyed during the turn it is summoned." The phoenix collided with the dragon, as the metal seemed to explode from the heat and the intensity of the impact. The phoenix continued travelling, heading straight for Lucien.

"Rubedo has one final effect. When Helios destroys a monster by battle, that monster's attack is inflicted as damage to your life points." Blaze felt the chains loosen and detach from his body, as Lucien cried out. The electrical shock from this attack would be enough to knock him out, but not kill him. After it had all finished, Blaze walked over to Lucien, picking up the two vials of liquid that had rolled out from underneath his vest.

**"Hold on, I'm coming."** Blaze said quietly.

Duel 1! - For a Friend - Victor: Blaze!  
Blaze: 3000 (Helios Trice Megistus ? → 3900/ ? → 3900)  
Lucien: 2700 → 1800 → 0


	4. Trance

IV - Trance

Is this a dream, or reality? Why is it all so black? Why is it all so cold? I feel…nothing. Lightning…

Myst. I want to stay by you, and protect you, but I don't know if I can…I don't know if I can protect anyone anymore. If only things had gone differently that day…

Lightning reached out a hand, trying to grab Myst's. All he could see was red.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~_**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

A group of small children were playing in a dark, dingy, cramped corner of the Delta 9 sector. It was a horrible place to live, filled to the brim with people, but no where near enough accommodation to allow them all to live comfortably. Most of them had sad stories for their childhood, filled with tales of orphanage, deserted parents, murder. It wasn't at all the right place to grow up as a child. But that's where Lightning and Myst came in. They too had grown up in this sector, just like these children today, but their's was a different story. They had stayed together, to overcome all the hardships of a life underground, and they were willing to help those around them. It is truly people like them, that let people have hope in their lives.

"Lightning! Look everyone it's Lightning!"

The young boy, about 7 or 8 years of age pointed furiously in the direction that the tall blonde man was coming from. Myst looked over her shoulder, as she helped up a child who had fallen on the ground. She smiled, standing up whilst turning around. "Never thought you'd make it back in time for dinner…where have you been?" Lightning looked away slightly, as he turned his attention to the children swarming around them. He bent down and ruffled the hair of one of them. "Hey kids, Big Brother is back! And he brought gifts!" Lightning took a package out of his bag, as he unfolded it and lay the contents down on the ground.

"Whoa! Those are some rare cards, Big Brother!" One of the children exclaimed, picking up a Serpent Night's Dragon. Another, picking up Tri-Horned Dragon, started waving it around, making roaring noises. Lightning smiled as Myst approached him, and the children ran out of earshot. "So…where have you really been?" She asked, a slightly more demanding tone in her voice. "…Around." Lightning muttered back, quietly as his eyes shifted to the ground. "Around where? And where exactly did you get those cards? I know you can't afford them. Don't tell me you started up stealing again…" Lightning looked furious, as he pushed her away. "Don't you dare say that about me! I'm not proud of my past, that's why I've become different today! That's why I've tried to get a life on the surface! Maybe you just can't accept that!" Myst looked stunned as Lightning stomped off, knocking over piles of trash that littered the sides of the alleyways. She hadn't expected him to react like that…what had he really done? All she could do now, was smile for the children.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~_**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

Lightning used the last of his strength to tear through the red that was blocking out Myst. But it didn't move an inch. He lay there, staring intensely into it, before he realised it had spoken to him. "Damn it Lightning, I'm trying to help Myst! Don't get in the way!". A drop of red ran down from Lightning's eye.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~_**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

Lightning awoke to the sound of crashing. He got up, putting on his ragged clothing as he stepped outside from his makeshift house, built out of what little scraps of metal they could find. He rubbed his eyes gently, and yawned, as he walked towards Myst, who was standing in the small circle of tiny enclaves where the children slept, and which also connected to the street ahead. His eyes turned sharply, as he noticed that there was a man dressed completely in white, with shockingly white hair to match. Blue lights flickered up and down his suit, as it seemed to be connected to some source of electricity. A cohort of other men, dressed in the same starling white with uniform masks, stood behind him, with another gigantic, burly man standing to his left bearing the same trademark attire.

"Ah, Lightning, isn't it? My my, what a surprise. To think somebody like you would be living down here, amongst common rabble like these. I guess Celeste is willing to open it's doors to anyone these days." The man smirked in the dim light, as the shuffling of feet could be heard from the small group of soldiers behind him. They were preparing to strike. "Oh, how rude of me. I am a Captain of the 6th Celeste Regiment, Nicholas Rehmel and this is my assistant, Ophius. We're here on official Celeste business."

Lightning scowled as he pushed Myst behind him. Some of the children had woken up and had begun to look outside to see what all the noise was. Lightning posed a simple question. "What sort of business." The man giggled slightly, as he raised a hand. "Why, we're conducting a research operation. And we need some test subjects. Go~!" He pointed the hand forwards, all the while keeping one hand behind him in a polite fashion. The men behind him sprang into action, as dim blue lights brightened the dreary night. The children screamed as the blue light connected with them, and then not another sound was heard. All Lightning could do was stare in disbelief, as a Armoured Carrier Vehicle came around the corner, and parked just a little ways out into the street. The men began to carry the children to the vehicle, some of them still twitching from the electricity that had passed through their bodies.

"You…MONSTER!" Lightning charged forward, aiming a fist at the man's head, but he was rebounded and thrown across the ground. The massive man had stepped forward, and simply pushed Lightning away with his palm. Myst looked with shock, as she ran back towards the back of the small alleyway where they lived. Lightning picked himself up off the ground, as the Captain stared to giggle. "Hee hee hee, I dare say you shouldn't interfere with us boy. We can easily kill you if we so wished." he turned away from Lightning, as he started walking towards the Armoured Carrier, with a sickening calm evident with each stride he took. Myst started to cry as she shouted at him, "But, they're only children! How can you do something like this? How can you do that to another human?" The Captain stopped, as he giggled slightly to himself once more. "Why, quite easily dear. Do you think anyone cares about these children? Do you think anyone cares about trash like you, who don't even deserve to live on the surface? I doubt anyone will notice you're gone. If you really cared about these children, you would protect them, but I see you are failing to do so. In that case, we will re-home them, which just so happens to agree nicely with our new research project…hee hee…"

"Shut up."

Lightning stood defiant, as he and Myst confronted the Celeste regiment. "Just shut up. These children aren't going away with you, they're staying right here, at home." Perhaps out of a desperate hope, Lightning raised his duel disk, the sound of the whirring energy breaking the silence. "Hmph. I'm afraid I do not have the time to be idly playing card games with a piece of Underground trash like you. But I'm sure Ophius will be more than happy to entertain your fragile hopes of getting these children back." Almost as if the giant man hung on his every word, it swayed forward, shaking the ground with each step. He himself unfolded a fairly long duel disk which stretched the width of his chest, and was a clean white colour, with veins of blue electricity shown running through the disk.

Duel 2! - A Duel to Remember? - Lightning vs. Ophius  
Lightning: 8000  
Ophius: 8000

As both duelists drew their opening hands, it suddenly struck Lightning that his opponent was hooked up to some massive breathing machine, or something similar. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it before. Must have been down to the fact he was so blinded with rage earlier…he took the first move, as he drew another card. "I summon Dark Blade to the field in attack position, and end with one reverse card!" Lightning had a sense of urgency in his voice. He didn't trust these men to wait around if he began to win the duel, or even to hand back the children if he did manage to win. Wasn't it enough that he was dueling? What more can he possibly do…?

Ophius drew a card, as he seemed to wheeze while playing them. He set two cards on the field, 1 monster face down, and 1 Magic or Trap. Lightning was wary of his cards, as he drew to begin another turn. "Reverse card, open! Raigeki Break!" A shot of electricity headed for Ohpius' face down card. "I discard 1 card to destroy 1 card on the field!" The man took a deep breath, as a resounding roar shook the field. His Trap, Threatening Roar, had been activated. "Ugh…no matter. I equip Dark Blade with Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade, increasing it's attack." Lightning then passed play onto his opponent, who with another great wheeze, drew a card. Finally he started to speak, in a very husky voice, almost like he was dying from a terrible illness. "I Flip Summon Fusion Roccke, allowing me to add a card with Fusion in it's name to my hand." His deck ejected a card into his opened hand, as it then automatically shuffled itself. He then held up 1 card, "I activate the Magic card, Excavation of Fusion Stones. This card allows me to Fusion Summon 1 Rock Type Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck." Ophius announced, placing his Fusion Roccke along with 3 other Rock monsters into the Graveyard, to Fusion Summon a terrifying beast in front of Lightning. The monster was made of a grey and black stone, which was completely smoothed down. Some soil and moss, and other plant life could be seen growing out of it. It opened its eyes to reveal blood red pupils. "The ground shakes with the calling of your name. Rock the foundations of the earth itself. Fusion Summon. Breathe, Granite - King of the Earth." He then drew 2 cards from his deck. "When I Fusion Summon using Excavation of Fusion Stones, I can draw 1 card for every 2 Fusion Materials. Also, Granite gains 500 ATK for each Rock monster used as it's Fusion Material." He raised a giant hand, pointing at Lightning who was nearly entirely blocked out by it.

"Battle. Granite. Core Eruption." The monster was slow to respond, but just like it's master, it raised one of it's front legs, and slammed it into the ground. Lightning's Dark Blade was swallowed up by the searing hot lava that poured out. And it was exactly that, hot lava. Some managed to overspill and burn holes in Lightning's rags. He felt the heat, the intensity, the pain. He looked at his hand, it was charred slightly, and shaking. "Ohohoho. Seems you have found out my assistant's little secret. He's one of the prototypes for this research, the first ever Artificial Psycho Duelist." Lightning looked up to see just what Rehmel was talking about. "That's it…the tanker…" Lightning looked down at his hand once more, as he tried to stop it from trembling. "I place one reverse card." Ophius said.

Lightning: 8000 → 7100  
Ophius: 8000 (Granite - King of the Earth 1000 → 3000/2000)

"Yes," the Captain replied, "Not only is that tanker keeping him alive, it's also pumping him full of the testing drugs that induce such capabilities. The longer he wears it, the more powerful his Psycho Dueling skills become.". Lightning clenched his burnt hand as he reached for the top card of his deck. "That's unforgivable…you are less than human." Surveying his hand, he knew he was not strong enough to take down this monster now. He placed 1 monster face down on the field. "My turn," Ophius wheezed, drawing the card slowly. "Battle. Core Eruption." The monster repeated the move, slamming it's leg down into the earth, and blowing the face down card to pieces. "Reverse card, Diamond Minefields. I can equip this card to a Fusion monster I control, to allow it to inflict piercing damage, while also lowering it's attack by 500." The lava splashed against the surface, as a much larger quantity hit Lightning this time. He felt like his skin was going to melt off his body. Somehow, he managed to pick himself up off the ground. Perhaps because he had someone to fight for, was the reason he was not giving up so easily. "Battle Warrior only had 1000 Defence…"

Lightning: 7100 → 5600  
Ophius: 8000 (Granite - King of the Earth 3000 → 2500/2000)

It was obvious the captain was finding this boring, as he yawned rather loudly. He let out a sharp sigh, as he began to talk, looking at his nails. "I never expected a resident of the Underground to actually win this duel, but at least provide some entertainment. My men always like a good blood bath, but only when the other side gives it their all." Lightning remained silent, as he drew another card. Still nothing…but why, why do I feel like this card could make a difference? The knight in his hand gleamed brightly for a second. He looked up at the giant man in front of him, and the smirking captain behind him. He then thought about the children, locked up in that Armoured Carrier Vehicle, all scared, all alone. He wouldn't let that happen to them. "I end my turn."

"What's this? Giving up are we? Hardly worth acknowledging Underground citizen's requests. I'll keep a note of that in the future. Just finish him now Ophius. I'm sure your Psycho power has grown enough to blow this piece of trash off his feet." Ophius seemed to nod slowly, as he drew yet another card. "I summon Core Chimail Sandman to the field.. Then I remove from play Granite, Sandman and the other 4 Rock monsters in my Graveyard to Special Summon Megarock Dragon." The ground began to tremble once more, as a fissure split open the ground in front of them. A claw latched onto the surface, as a gigantic dragon made of rock pulled itself from out of the crater. Nearly every inch of it's rock covered body was formed into some form of spike. If it hit Lightning…it'd be a miracle if he survived. "Battle. Megarock Dragon will attack directly. Pain Cascade." The giant dragon, which nearly filled the already cramped space, lifted it's front leg, as it prepared a swipe for Lightning. He was ready though. Perhaps this was for the best, maybe somehow, someway, his death could help those children out in some way.

"NO!"

Lightning felt the push of a small but courageous woman, as Myst pushed him out of the way just as the Rock Dragon released it's attack, smashing her into a pile of the rusty metal houses. Lightning looked to her as all he could see was her broken body. Surely, she was dead.

Lightning: 5600 → 1400  
Ophius: 8000 (Megarock Dragon ? → 4200/ ? → 4200)

Lightning forgot all about what he was doing, forgot all about what he was thinking. Instead, he let his emotions rule him. It was all he could do to stop himself from ripping the top card of his deck to pieces when he drew it. But with that card, came a whole new path. "I activate the Magic card, Polymerization!" Slamming the card down furiously, he picked up a further two cards from his hand. "I will fuse Gaia the Fierce Knight together with Curse of Dragon!" He slid the cards into his graveyard, as he picked up a card from his Extra Deck. "Hmm, seems he does have some rare cards after all. I was getting bored of all those trashy cards." Lightning pointed directly at the Captain as he was speaking, cutting him off, "Get ready you bastard…I WILL KILL YOU!" Perhaps through all the rage, Lightning didn't realise that his vision was starting to go blurry or maybe he just didn't care. He could hear a whisper in the air, almost like someone was speaking to him, but nobody had said a word, as they waited for his assault. "Gaia the Dragon Champion! Attack! Diamond Dragon Lance!" The knight nodded as the air in the Underground area which they called home, seemed to get thicker, almost like their was an increase in pressure. The knight on it's dragon steed flew back, and then burst forth with almost sound barrier breaking speed, it charged straight for the head of the giant rock dragon.

"Quick Magic, Battle Fusion!" Lightning held out the card, as the dragon roared beneath the knight and it seemed to gain an aura of power. "Gaining the attack of the opposing monster? How do you have a card like that?" the Captain questioned, as Lightning ignored him and played yet another card. "Quick Magic, Battle Fusion!" This time, the knight bellowed, as together with their combined power, the dragon and the knight pierced through the rock dragon shattering it into pieces as they drilled through it. But their path did not stop there, as they continued forward, straight through Megarock Dragon, and then coming out of the other side, as the spear rammed into Ophius. It pierced through his clothing, blood splattered everywhere and he was thrust back with such a great force, that he slammed into the Armoured Carrier Vehicle and knocked it over, shattering his breathing apparatus in the process.

Lightning: 1400 (Gaia the Dragon Champion 2600 → 6800→ 11000/2100)  
Ophius: 8000 → 1200

-DUEL CANCELLED-

Rehmel looked stunned as he stared at Lightning, who was gasping for breath. He quickly thrust a hand towards the ACV, as the soldiers turned it over, and started the engine. He looked down at Ophius, who was crumpled into a ball, the spear had pierced him clean through. There was no possible way he could survive. "It can't be true, but it is…Bleed Through…" He then climbed into the back of the ACV, as it revved up and sped off turning the corner at a vicious speed. The children were gone, and so was any hope of rescuing them, and Myst, Myst was…

"Lightning."

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~_**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

"Lightning!"

The woman's strong, courageous voice was easily identified by Lightning. He felt her warm hands on his chest, as she had begun CPR. "Lightning!" she cried, as tears fell from her face and onto his. "I'm so sure we had lost you…don't ever do that again!" She slapped him gently as she then began to smile, something she hadn't done in quite a while. "I'm all for everything being sugar and rainbows, but truth is we have to get out of here otherwise we're going to die. I'm sorry Lightning, but…" Lightning then grabbed Blaze's jacket as he spoke. "I know, I know we can't always protect and save whoever we want to. We'll just have to figure out some other way, yeah? We'll get them back, I promise. Those kids are coming home…" He then let go of his jacket, as he rested his strength. "Let's go." Myst said, nodding as Blaze picked up Lightning and thrust him on his back. The team was back together again, and there was nothing they couldn't do.

Except they couldn't foresee the future. As they made a break for the exit of the facility, which was close by the Research Center, they could not possibly see what was coming next. In the large courtyard between the entrance gates of the facility, and the exit of the corridor to the Research Centre, stood an army of Celeste, signature white masks and white uniforms a sure sign that this was true. Stood by them was a young man, with jet black hair which was long enough to cover his right eye, fashioned in such a way that it spiked down towards that direction. "Ah, I see. The intruders. There is no way you are getting out of here alive, one hopes you have a nice time in heaven. Give my regards to God." He clicked his fingers, as the soldiers readied their weaponry.

"Allow me." A voice as soft as satin emanated from the top of the dome of the Research Centre. With a flash, the guns of soldiers went off, but that wasn't where the flash had come from. A tall, fair skinned man stood in front of Blaze and Myst. He was dressed in what seemed to be a purple magician's robe lined with red trimming, complete with a green staff. He was holding out one hand, and in front of him had appeared a circle with a hexagram in the middle, which had completely blocked all of the bullets the soldiers had fired. The magician held out a hand, as the woman from on top of the building launched herself off it, grabbing the arm and swinging around it, before gracefully landing on the ground. She was wrapped in a black cloak, with a white trim around the edges. She snapped her fingers, and almost like a magic, a top hat appeared in her hand. She put it on, winked, and blew a kiss to all the soldiers around her. The Dark Magician joined her by her side, as she opened her black cloak, revealing a very voluptuous dress beneath. Pointing upwards into the night sky, she puts a hand on her waist.

"It's showtime, boys!


	5. Visions

V - Visions

The woman in the black cape looked back at Myst and Blaze, who were still stunned by her sudden appearance. She gave a small wink, before she reached inside the space between her breasts seductively, pulling out a pair of guns almost like magic, once again. "Get down!" Her voice bounced against the silent night sky as she jumped into the air, the Dark Magician following her movements closely.

She slid a card out of her wrist whilst in mid air, turning around and throwing it to the Magician. He grabbed it elegantly, and with a flick of his wrist, evoked the magic hidden within the card. She smiled as she hit the ground, and then again, and then again. She looked to the left and right. Exact copies of her stared back, all of them smiling as they rolled forward and blasts of gun fire rang out.

"What the hell?" The captain shouted, losing his composure as man after man began dropping to the floor and the ladies continued their havoc. Almost like a dance, the women were swiftly moving to an unseen rhythm, elegantly weaving in and out of retaliating shots before firing back their own and hitting with precise and deadly accuracy.

The sound of gun fire was soon quelled, the woman blowing the smoke off her bright pink handgun. It had a chain attached to the bottom, with a love heart dangling on the end of it. She smiled as the other two copies disappeared from sight, and she was rejoined by the Dark Magician. She let the gun lean on her shoulder casually, as she began to walk towards the captain in her 2 inch stiletto heels. Blaze and Myst looked up from the ground, huddled over Lightning to protect him from the gunfire. They were shocked yet again.

"We must do this again sometime, Amadeus. I do enjoy performing to such large audiences. That small gig at Manuel's just doesn't cut it these days. I need something…more." At that moment she bent down to pick up a key card that had dropped out of one of the men's hands, revealing once more the fact that the dress she was wearing did not exactly fit her unmentionables. "Now now, no staring." She said, with yet another wink, wagging her finger at him.

Amadeus sighed as blue lights began to race up and down his pure white suit. He reached into his back pocket, taking out a card and holding it out in front of him. "I haven't used this in a while, so don't mind me if I'm a little bit rusty. Think of this as a chance to show your real skills as a performer, if you will." Blaze and Myst stood up as they remained in the distance, feeling a bit useless if truth be told. But somehow, Myst had a sense that something terrible was going to happen. Those blue lights…

"Soul Fusion - Transformation Summon!"

The captain's cry reverberated around the open air courtyard as he slammed the card into his chest, his hand going straight through it. A white glow burst forth from his chest ad started to spill out onto the ground, almost as if it was a liquid. It started to envelop him before it shone with such a brilliant light that it blinded all those staring at it. As they recovered their eyesight, the captain had disappeared and instead was replaced by a massive machine, easily ten feet tall in height. The white glow began to expand and condense around it's core, forming a ring that lit up the darkened scene. The machine picked itself up of the ground, the light of the ring reflecting off the shiny black and chrome coating. The arms and legs of the machine, as well as the back seemed to be floating around the core of the body, which consisted mainly of it's torso, almost like the moon held in by the earth's gravity.

"Soul Fusion…I've never seen something like this before." The woman turned around to Myst and Blaze with a worried expression on her face. "What are you still doing here? Get the hell out!" Myst and Blaze did not need any more encouragement as they dashed for the white wall in front of them. It began to separate as the motion sensor detected their movement, revealing a picturesque forest path, which they did not have time to enjoy. A metallic voice echoed through the darkness.

"No you don't."

Myst swivelled around quickly, and took a sharp intake of breath, pushing Blaze away from her. A giant fist rocketed past, crashing into the wall and preventing them from passing any further. Blaze panted on the floor with Lightning lying on top of him. There was nothing they could do to fight Soul Fusion, Blaze had barely defeated the terrible monster that resulted from a fusion nowhere near as powerful as this. The mechanised captain of the 7th regiment of Celeste raised the second fist, and fired it. Will this be where it all ends?

Suddenly an explosion, and a flash of light. From the dust emerged the woman magician and her powerful monster, standing directly in front of the big SATURN. In her hand, the woman held another magic card. "Who the hell said I was finished with you, Amadeus? This shows only just begun…" She smiled as she slid the card into a duel belt, much like the one Lucius had been wearing. "Magic, activate! Magic Alive!" Myst could feel the power coming forth from everything around her, the trees, the flowers, even herself and Blaze. It all seemed to be drawing into that card, but it wasn't draining their strength. It was more like…collecting. "Let's make this a night to remember, Black Magicians!" Myst watched in wonder as the magic materialised into reality as sparklers started flying from no where, and confetti started spraying everywhere, and in the middle of it all, the woman magician and her Black Magician and a new figure, Black Magician Girl. "Black Twin Burst!" The woman held out a gun at the same time as the magicians held their staffs together, and all three fired simultaneously. The blast of magic made the machine stumble, as the bullet swiftly followed and struck the head of the machine right between the eyes, knocking it over. The woman blew the smoke off her gun again, and blew a kiss to the captain afterwards. She slipped the gun back into where it came from and started walking towards Myst and Blaze, but there was something wrong. There was still a low humming, no…a ticking. It grew quicker with each second that passed. The woman turned around, before her eyes widened. "Oh shi-"

The ticking time bomb within the core of the big SATURN was indeed powerful. It was the main reason why people even knew anything was going on at the Celeste Research Facility the following day in the first place. It was so great, it took off the bark from all the surrounding trees and almost caused the already shattered building to shake in it's foundations. Nobody survived.

Or at least, nobody who had stuck around to be found by the security squad that was dispatched from the main headquarters in the following hour. Together, Myst, Blaze and the mysterious magician hobbled along the forest path, heading for the main city of Logisbrugh as the sun began to rise in front of them. They came out onto a small plateau which wasn't covered in thick forest. Through the small gap provided by the formation of the plateau, they could see the city awakening to a new dawn, as the sun appeared over the horizon, just through the tall skyscraper of Celeste's Main Headquarters. It was almost like placing a blue tinted crystal in front of the sun. The light was scattered by a prismatic effect, shining a rainbow over the small plateau. It was beautiful.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

Inside the woman's apartment, Myst and Blaze surveyed the interesting scenery after making sure Lightning was in a good condition in her bedroom. The place was absolutely adorned with any magic memorabilia that the woman could find. Old posters, giant playing cards, a separate rack for top hats of different colours. It was quite surreal. Famous names like Houdini kept popping up somewhere along the magic coated walls. The woman sighed as she threw the cloak she had been wearing over a chair that was floating in mid air, before sitting down on the large couch in front of a regular looking coffee table. Blaze and Myst took refuge on the other side of the table, at another couch positioned opposite the one the woman was sitting on. Tonight had been filled with action, to be sure. They were all extremely tired, some of them having only recently escaped the grips of death. Blaze folded his arms as he crossed one leg over the other.

"Just who exactly are you?" Blaze asked. It was true that even though they had basically gone on the run with this woman, they had no idea who she even was. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry. Manuel is always telling me off for improper manners…my name is Sarah, Sarah de Lachien. You can probably tell from my accent, I have a French lineage within my family." Sarah spoke once more with that soft satin like voice that seemed just to whisper through the air. She took the tophat off her head and placed it on the rack, next to a brightly coloured green one. Her long, flowing brown hair fell down at once, as she ran her hands through it before leaning back on the couch and folding her legs. "As you can see, I am infatuated with the art of magic, it's even my day job. That may be subject to change though…" She began to chew on the nail on the end of her thumb as she looked at the open door of her bedroom, which was across from the small open plan living area. The small alcove was the main feature of the area, with a great deal of books stacked in an ancient bookcase to the right of the sofa Sarah was sitting in. To the left of Blaze and Myst was the small but modern kitchen, and to the right of Sarah was the corridor which led to the bedroom, bathroom and entrance of the apartment.

Myst sighed as she placed her head in her hands rubbing her face before looking back up. "Sorry…I'm just so tired after what happened today, but you must be even more tired with what you were doing…how did you summon those monsters into reality? Or was it all just magic…?" Sarah winked at her as she got up and pulled on a lever by the couch, producing a small sofa bed. "Rule 1: A magician never reveals their secrets." She gestured towards the small bed. "Have some sleep, I'll make sure your friend is tended to. I'll wake you up once he comes around." Myst nodded, as she hugged Sarah while she walked past and whispered a small thank you, before curling up on the sofa bed like a cat. Blaze had already fallen asleep on the opposite sofa, his hand supporting his head. Sarah smiled, as she closed the door behind her, making her way for Lightning.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

"I-I can't do it! Why can't I summon it?" Myst cried, as the tears streamed down her face. She looked up as Lightning was being continuously electrocuted by the demonic figure in front of her. He screamed in pain, until finally nothing came out of his mouth again. The demon chuckled as he threw the battered body of Lightning to the ground, and Myst ran over to him but a large hand blocked her progress and swept her back to her starting position. "But I don't want to duel! I want to help Lightning! I need to help Lightning!" The demon just laughed more heartily, as it summoned a horde of what appeared to be zombies, dragging Lightning down into the black abyss from which they came. "No! This isn't fair! Why are you doing this to us? What have we ever done…?" The demon laughed, as it let out one word from it's rotted lips. "Existed."

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~_

Myst awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up as she looked around the room. Blaze was still fast asleep, he was now sucking his thumb like a small child. Sarah knocked on the door and opened it, greeting Myst. "Oh good you're awake…I'm afraid…Lightning passed away…" Myst's eyes widened. "Only joking! Hmm, not ready for humour yet? That's what I have to keep telling myself when the audience doesn't laugh…" Sarah looked slightly sullen for a moment, before poking Blaze in the stomach and beckoning for both of them to come through to meet the injured Lightning. "Don't talk to him too much though, the area around his chest is badly damaged…I think we'll have to rest here for a few days. At least this means we'll be keeping a low profile while you stay." Myst nodded as she picked up Lightning's hand and held it. He turned his head towards her and smiled.

"So…I didn't want to ask since we had only just come back, but what were you guys doing there?" Sarah asked, curious as to why a group of 3 had taken it upon themselves to break into a research facility and wreck the place. Lightning replied, "We need to save some people, people that depend on us…" Sarah's face screwed up slightly. "I see…well next question. I know that reptile like monster belonged to the captain, but what was that knight thing that was fighting it?" Sarah looked at Blaze, who shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea. Myst looked at Lightning, as he began to speak again. "That was my Transformation Summon…" he coughed violently as Myst held tightly onto his hand. Sarah stood up as she looked out the window, turning her back to the group. "But a Transformation Summon? How can you use something like that?" It definitely wasn't a normal transformation, for sure…it was barely a match for revenge sacrifice that soldier made for their captain. I doubt he knows Soul Fusion…

"I-I'm technically part of Celeste." Lightning coughed once more, before smiling at Myst and Blaze. Sarah remained where she was. "I haven't told anyone up until now, because I felt ashamed…I thought they were something to help this city, to help people like me get a normal life on the surface...but they turned out how they did…"

Sarah nodded, almost as if she had known what he was going to say. She turned around, folding her arms and opening her hazel eyes. "So I take it they selected you for that experiment? And that's how you got that power?" Lightning shrugged as he propped himself up on the bed. He seemed to be making a remarkably fast recovery for someone who had just had their body bashed to pieces, and then shot.

"An experiment for what?" Myst asked, rather naively. Sarah had expected she would ask that question. "An experiment…" Sarah trailed off as she looked at the sun now shining high above the Celeste building. The town had finally become active again. The clear blue sky shined on.

"To create the ultimate Psycho Duelist."


	6. Heart Beats

**VI - Heart Beats**

The mood of the city was silent. Tired, weary workers made their way back to their homes as lights in the city began to shut down, resting for a few hours before it would have to pick itself back up again, and continue with the daily grind. "You sure this is a good idea?" a voice called out into the night, as the sound of shuffling feet echoed around. "I mean, what if something happens to them while we're away? I wouldn't feel happy with myself knowing I had let something happen…" A woman sighed, her voice almost expressed the rolling of her eyes. "Oh stop worrying and enjoy yourself, when was the last time you even went out?"

Sarah grabbed Mist's hand as they entered into the dark building. Two tall men in black suits stood outside, their fiercely intimidating looks turning away many a customer. They found themselves in a darkened room, almost pitch black, save for a small spot in the centre of it that was lit up by the moonlight pouring down from the skylight above. There was a quiet hush as more people came in and Sarah and Mist had to shuffle along.

"What's happening?" Mist asked, a bit annoyed that she was getting pushed around in all sorts of directions. Sarah responded calmly, a hint of excitement in her voice, "Just wait patiently, you'll see soon enough.". A few minutes passed by, and finally the entrance doors were shut, eliminating the only source of light apart from the skylight. Mist felt a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time, she felt…

A voice, amplified by a microphone broke the golden silence. "Hello Logisbrugh!" a female was speaking. She stepped into the moonlight as the crowd went wild. Mist was surprised to find the usually cool as a cucumber Sarah screaming her lungs out too. The woman nodded her head as the screaming died down, "Yeah yeah, I know it's been ages since we've visited. Let's start off with a classic, shall we?" She clicked her fingers as the crowd started screaming again, and three men came out of the shadows and into the moonlight. They set up some musical equipment, as the woman positioned herself on a pedestal set up by one of the men. She smiled at everyone, before raising the microphone to her lips. "1,2,3, hit it!" The room was suddenly filled with dazzling lights, flashing blue and red and white all over the place. Perhaps unexpected in the chaos of the music, Mist finally felt relaxed for once.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~

Celeste Soldier: 100 → 0  
Lightning: 3900 (Gaia the Fierce Knight)

"Who's next?" Lightning questioned, as the circle of Celeste soldier's seemed to be waning. There was a disgruntled air, broken by a man screaming in pain and the shattering of a window. Blaze stood behind Lightning and the circle moved backwards slightly. How could such lowlifes be so powerful? Lightning raised his duel disk and another man stepped forward to join in him battle. Blaze did the same. A few moments passed and the two men dropped to the floor, adding to the pile of unconscious bodies on the ground. The remaining soldiers saw that they were too weak for the two intruders, and retreated back. Lightning dropped to one knee.

"I told you, we shouldn't have done this…you haven't recovered yet." Blaze sounded worried, a slightly unusual feeling for him. Lightning stood back up as he strode over to the elevator and pressed the up button. "I need to know more about this Psycho dueling experiment though, it sounds as if they are using human test subjects. We might even be able to find the children…" The doors of the elevator opened and Blaze and Lightning walked in. Blaze put his hand on Lightning's shoulder. "It's not your fault…" Almost instantly the elevator doors opened, and more white suits appeared in front of them. A few cries and thuds later, Blaze and Lightning ascended up further into the crystal building.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~

The music was so loud it almost burst Mist's eardrums. She covered her ears to try and make it stop, but it wasn't working. She felt trapped in this crowd of people, being pushed around as people jumped up and down in time with the music. Finally the music stopped, and there was a roar as everybody started cheering. The woman on the pedestal smiled once more as she waved at her adoring fans. "Thank you everyone! Goodnight!" there was another ripple of shouting and screaming, as the word 'Encore' was shouted in unison. The woman giggled as she fluffed up her blonde hair and stood back on the pedestal, her rock chick clothes arranged perfectly to fit her personality. The room went quiet once more as she began the song she had started with. "Wake up in the morning feeling like P-Diddy…" the woman winked at her audience as the lights began to flash randomly in the room again, "Grab my glasses, I'm out the door, I'm going to hit this city." The woman ran a hand up and down her body as she started to feel for the beat of the music, "Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of J, cause when I leave for the night I ain't coming back." The woman nodded her head as everyone in the room started to clap in time to the music.

"I'm talking pedicure on our toes, toes, trying on all our clothes, clothes, boys blowing up our phones, phones." There were more screams as the woman smiled, her soft tanned skin glistening in the moonlight, "Drop-topping, playing all our favourite CDs, pulling up to the parties, trying to get a little bit tipsy." The music paused for just a moment, before it started up again with the crowd clapping in sync once more, "Don't stop, make it pop, DJ blow my speakers up, tonight, I'mma fight, till we see the sunlight, Tik Tok on the clock, but the party don't stop, no!" Mist found herself being pushed in every direction once more, before she finally found refuge by standing at the edge of the circle of moonlight. She stared in awe, before she hadn't really noticed, but now that she wasn't being physically punished by refusing to jump around like a maniac, she could see how the woman found herself lost in the music. Mist closed her eyes as she listened out for the beat of the music.

At that moment the door burst open as a flood of white poured in from the streets. The music stopped abruptly as the woman jumped down from the pedestal. "What the hell is going on here?" She demanded of the tall skinny man with brown hair, who was spearheading the assault on the concert. "We have received information that two of the assailants who attacked the research facility yesterday evening have come here for your concert. Now move out of the way-" There was a loud smacking sound as the man recoiled in pain, his face burning bright red. The woman, who had just slapped him, took a step back as she handed a tape to one of her musicians. "How dare you come in here and ruin my concert, and then ask me to give up two of my own fans to you people. I hear the stories of what you do to people…and I won't standby and let that happen to my fans! Let's go, hit it!" The woman nodded fiercely as the man jammed the tape into an old fashioned ghetto blaster, and placed it on the podium. The woman's voice echoed from it, the tape contained the song she had just been singing. "I'm not stopping the party here just yet! Let's duel!"

Duel 3! - This Party won't Stop! ? vs. ?  
?: 8000  
?: 8000

"Oi! Pass me that duel disk!" the woman shouted at one of her technical crew, who threw the disk at her as she put it on swiftly and slammed her deck into it. It seemed she was very serious about this. "Vice-Captain Marsh, you're not thinking about…" The tall man raised his duel disk in defence. "Duel!" they both shouted, as the crowd of music fans started to scream. Finally, they'd get to see their favourite pop star play Duel Monsters.

"I'll start." The captain said calmly, drawing his hand rather hastily. He drew another card to signal the beginning of his turn. "I activate the Magic card, Polymerization!" The captain picked two monsters from his hand, and sent them to the graveyard. "I fuse The Snake Hair and Dragon Zombie together! Appear, Great Mammoth of Goldfine!" A large skeleton of a monster appeared in front of the man, rising up from the ground beneath them "Next I activate the Magic card De-Fusion, splitting my monster apart. Then I'll use those monsters to summon this, Despair from the Dark!" A cackle resounded around the room as a dark fiend rose up from behind the vice-captain. All the woman could see was it's grin. The woman didn't flinch, as she began her turn. "My turn!" She smiled as she picked up five cards from her hand and placed them in her Magic and Trap zones. "I activate the Continuous Magic cards, Pulse, Beat, Rhythm, Sound and Tempo. By the effect of Pulse, I can destroy your monster and deal damage equal to the number of Continuous Magic cards I control times 500. By the effect of Beat, if I control 3 or more Continuous Magic cards, I can Special Summon one monster from my hand in place of my Normal Summon this turn. Time to pump it up! Music Soul!" A faint white, ghostly ball appeared in front of the singer, as she swept all her Magic cards into the Graveyard. "Music Soul's effect destroys all the Magic and Trap cards on my field, and deals you damage equal to the number destroyed times 500. And that still leavs your field wide open for a direct attack." The woman pulled a face at the captain as the ghostly entity started to spin violently, generating a hurricane that blasted forward, taking the vice-captain and his minions with him. There was a large thud as somewhere in the distance, a large mass of bodies hit a brick wall.

Vice-Captain Marsh: 8000 → 0  
? : 8000

Duel 3 - This Party won't Stop! - Victor: ?

There was a massive cheer from the crowd as the woman bowed, smiling all the while. She walked towards the ghetto blaster, cranking the volume up another notch. Sarah approached Mist and pushed her forward to meet the pop star. "Told you this party wouldn't end, Sarah!" The woman said, bursting with confidence. Sarah nodded as she pointed towards Mist, who felt very awkward. "Hi there Mist! Sarah tells me you're looking for help to beat those nasty white suits. Well, just you rely on Lady Diva, the ever popular songstress~!" Mist looked bewildered, she just stared at the pop star for a few moments, in silence. "Don't like my stage name, hmm? Guess we'll have to get used to that…" Mist blinked as the sun rose out in the sky.

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~

Lightning & Blaze: 4300 (Gaia the Fierce Knight, Helios Trice Megistus)  
Soldier #1, Soldier #2 & Soldier #3: 1900 → 0

Lightning and Blaze lowered their duel disks as Helios Trice Megistus finished off the last of the soldiers blocking their way to the main laboratory on the 30th floor of the massive crystal building in the centre of Logisbrugh. They stopped for a few minutes to regain their breath. Blaze looked at Lightning, noticing that his uncovered wounds had now healed up. "How the hell do you do that?" Blaze asked him, a tone of disbelief very apparent. "I don't know, I think it has something to do with what Sarah was talking about, about all that Psycho Duelist stuff…" They stood there for a few moments, in silence, before they walked up to the doors of the labs. Lightning swiped a key card that Sarah had picked up from one of the soldiers at the research facility through the card reader. It beeped and glowed green. The doors opened to reveal a dark room, illuminated by the glowing green liquid in the tanks lined up in rows that stretched to the far end of the lab. They strode in and the doors shut behind them.

They looked around, but it was hard to find anything, as they really had no clue where to start. Blaze made his way over to a desk, and opened up a laptop. He powered it up and sat down, checking some notes left scattered across the wooden desk. There was a pungent smell of ammonia in the lab, probably coming from the product they used to clean the floors with. Everything was sparkling, even in the dim light. Lightning noticed that there seemed to be a common theme of white and blue around the room. There were small lines carved into the wall, where he could see blue lights racing across. The lines lead his eyes to a small tanker up ahead, at the very end of the lab. He turned his head to check for Blaze, who was sitting at the desk typing on the laptop, searching for some files.

Lightning headed to the back of the lab. When he arrived, he noticed a spot that seemed to be cordoned off from the other tanks. This one didn't glow green either, no, the liquid inside was a dark blue, much like the blue lights that were racing into the top of the tanker. There was a large amount of dust on the glass of the tanker, which was unusual, considering everything else was kept so clean and tidy. Lightning swept a hand across the glass, wiping away the dust. A face stared back at him, before it's eyes opened, glowing a deep, dark blue.

"Holy shi-"


	7. Steel Soul

**Chapter VII - Steel Soul**

"Y-you are..?"

The figure gleamed in the moonlight, a body made of steel. There was a twirling of a blade, or something as violent, and the sound of piercing flesh. The red liquid dripped to the ground, the wound clean, precise. Withdrawing the spear, the man in the purple robes collapsed to the ground, whispering one final word to the wind, before making his way to the Other World. "Samurai…"

"Strike to kill, to protect peace, to protect justice."

-THE END-

_**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream** a little, and the world shall change._~

Lightning braced himself by holding out his arms in front of him, but such a weak defence against an 8 or 9 foot tall hulking giant was easily broken. The creature smashed it's arm into Lightning, and a similar result happened to the blonde haired hero, splintering the door after being thrown backwards nearly 10 yards. The beast roared and started to walk clumsily, the broken container it had been resting in emptying itself of the blue liquid that had kept it locked away for so long.

Blaze couldn't do a thing, the giant kept walking past him, and picked Lightning up by the throat, before jumping out the window. They were on the 40th? 50th floor? There was silent crying in the corner, and Blaze regained his senses. He made his way to the source of the noise, and found a boy only in his teenage years, dressed completely head to toe in black. His sitting with his back to the wall, his legs up in front of him and his face pressed against them, sobbing. Blaze stared, with his mouth half open. There hadn't been anybody else in the room…

"That was Experiment #1." The boy said over muffled tears. Blaze looked back to the hole in the large broken glass windows out in the hallway, reflecting the moonlight in their now shattered glory. "He's ever so violent. We don't like him at all." A similar voice, almost exactly the same except it wasn't crying. Blaze looked up to see another boy, almost identical to the one on the floor, perched on top of the broken tank the giant of a man had unleashed himself from. His hair was angled to the opposite side of the boy on the floor, and he had a smile on his face.

"Won't you join us in a game? It's been a long time, since we've had someone play with us." A third voice, this one much more mundane and monotonous. Blaze turned around to see another boy, furnished in black appear from behind one of the glowing green containers. "Oh how rude of us. We're Experiment's #2" Blaze knew it. They were the same person.

Lightning screamed silently, the lack of oxygen apparent, and sudden death immanent. Not only did the hulking giant have his hand tightly squeezed around his neck, but they were travelling at a high speed to the ground below. It was only a matter of seconds until- "YoU hAvE iT…?" The giant spoke. That childish voice, it wasn't right for the frame he had. Lightning tried to wrench his hands away from his neck but he was holding on so tight. 

_Don't worry, Master._

That surge of energy once again rose inside him, and he could feel his heart pumping. He felt empowered. Over the noise of the rushing flow of energy, Lightning could hear a singeing sound, and the giant recoiled, thrusting Lightning downwards the last 5 or so feet to the ground. But that was enough time to survive. What hit the ground wasn't Lightning, or at least, not physically him. That was it, a Transformation Summon.

The giant landed, making the ground beneath them tremble. He was unscathed from the landing, but his hand was burnt severely. Lightning gasped for air, finally able to see his assailant in the dim moonlight. He was wearing nothing but ripped, baggy purple shorts, and there was a frightening iron mask clad over his face, hiding his true features. Lightning couldn't help but feel he was familiar. "It couldn't be…" he whispered.

" 'dAt'S rIgHt. I bE DeStInY hErO - DrEaDgUy." That voice again, so high pitched, not at all suited for such a monster of a man. Lightning had little time to ponder over the details, though. The giant charged forward, pushing him back. His feet skidded along the ground, and sparks flew from the friction between his armour and the road. He did a quick check. Nobody was around at this time of night. Good. He could go full out. Producing a lance from his back, Lightning thrust it towards his foe, hoping to do some damage, but the weapon snapped in two.

"What the hell is thi-" He had no time to relay his shock, a hand smacked him straight in the face and he was sent flying across the street. He had only just stopped skidding along the ground, his armour screeching, when the giant jumped on top of him, and began smacking him with his clumsy hands all across his face and chest. What kind of fighting was this? It was so…simple.

Lightning caught a hand in mid strike and pushed up with his leg. With the significant increase in strength from the Transformation Summon, he easily kicked the Destiny Hero to the ground and brought himself back to a standing position. He looked across to where they had been standing before. His lance had been broken, but it was still sharp and jagged at one end. If he could reach it, he would have a significant advantage.

Dashing forwards and stamping his foot down on Dreadguy's chest, he jumped forwards and landed next to his weapon, picking it up and brandishing it, not sure of how to wield such a mangled piece of metal. Dreadguy looked angry that he had been hurt, and charged at Lightning once more. But perhaps he could use such momentum to his advantage.

Lightning took one timed step forward, jabbing the spear when the Destiny Hero was only a few inches away. It seemed to work, the skin was pierced and wounded and blood dripped out of it, but the man just screamed loudly and punched Lightning harder than before, smashing him into a brick wall. Such power, even when feeling pain, what kind of thing was this?

There was some sniffling, almost as if the Hero was hurt more emotionally than physically, but Lightning didn't have an eye for such detail, not at the moment anyway. Picking himself up and rushing once more at the giant of a man, he thrust again, hoping for more damage, but instead he wound up on the receiving end, again.

It seemed the man got more powerful, more violent and aggressive when he got damaged, and the end result was that Lightning got beaten around like a used doll. Lightning could help but feel it was almost as like the Destiny Hero was having a tantrum of sorts. He couldn't shake that feeling, even after all this pain, that he was acting particularly child like for some reason.

"Stop, evildoers!"The cry of a noble warrior rang out in the silent, reverent night. Both Lightning and Dreadguy looked up at the moon. Silhouetted against it was a figure of a much more ordinary man, standing on the rooftops of one of the close by buildings.

There was a clicking sound over the roof tiles, the shadow drew closer, jumping out of the moon and landing between the two. There was a sudden silence. Nothing moved. Then there was that same noble voice, echoing in the streets of the deserted city. "The cursed wind drives its way through Neo-Olde Tokyo! A glistening moon, a river of blood. The noble warrior arrives in glory! Bear witness, for it is Tonosaman!" There was a gust of wind, as music echoed from somewhere close by. It couldn't be that Lightning was imaging it…?

"Have at thee, minions of the Evil Magistrate!" The man with the steel body rushed forward, swivelling his large spear behind his back, then spearing the Destiny Hero straight through the heart. "Strike to kill, to protect peace, to protect justice. Until my life ends, that is the way, the way of Tonosaman!"

The man relinquished his spear from the fallen Hero, and left him lying on the ground. Lightning couldn't help himself. "Tha-That was way too cool! But, who are you…?" The man in steel looked shocked that the warrior before him had not heard of him before. "The cursed wind drives its way through Neo-Olde Tokyo-…" He began again. Lightning put his hand up. "I heard you the first time…"

Tonosaman stroked his chin, as if in thought. Suddenly it came to him. He produced a flier, and gave it to Lightning. Emblazoned on it was an emblem of sorts, and clear, bold writing. "I forgot in your country, I am called The Steel Samurai, sworn enemy to the Evil Magistrate! I thought that fiend was him, dressed in that purple garb…" Lightning still looked shocked. "You don't mean…that?"

The man in steel smiled, jumping onto the rooftop again, his figure hidden by the harsh moonlight covering the city. "That's right! Every Friday, at 3PM on Channel 1! Steel Samurai: The Adventures of Neo-Olde Tokyo! It's a hit with the kids!" There was a sudden burst of hearty laughter, and the figure as well as the theme tune of the Steel Samurai disappeared as suddenly as he had shown himself.

Lightning sighed, and turned around. This was too much. But things were about to get a little wackier. Destiny Hero - Dreadguy had disappeared from view. In it's place, was the crippled body, soaked in blood. It was the body of a child.


	8. Forever Yours

In a place I like to call Heaven

There's these people I meet, who look like

Angels

And I can't help but feel

That I don't know why you are there.

-Love you forever, Andrew

Mum xxx

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

_Duel 4! The Three Who Become One! Blaze vs. ?_

_Blaze: 400_

_?: 0 (Biological Entity Malboro)_

_This is hopeless…_ Blaze looked down at his bare field, and the three cards in front of him that were currently melding into one gigantic monster. He could tell that without a doubt, this "Experiment 2" was never meant to be alive. The monster finished forming, and together the three pale skinned men pointed at Blaze, declaring the final attack that would end his life.

"**But I'll never give up."**

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

Lightning pressed the elevator button, aiming to go back up to the 30th floor to the research lab. There, he would find the answers to what he had just done, he knew it. How could he do it? How could he kill a child…? He shook his head, there was no point thinking like that now. What's done is done, is what he was always taught to think. He would have to redeem himself later, but by finding these answers now, he could at least get on the right track to stopping this atrocity.

The lab looked much the same as Lightning had left it, until his eyes gazed across to the middle of the room, where several of the tankers that had lit the room with their emerald green liquid were now shattered in pieces, their contents slowly creeping across the room and making the place stink of chemicals. Blaze was there too, dueling…another Experiment.

"Blaze, stop, run away!" Lightning shouted, but his cries were ignored as the monster launched its tendrils at Blaze, heading for his heart. _Don't worry Lightning, I have this under control! _A whisper, like last time, only much stronger, able to be heard. It was faint at first, but when Lightning noticed it, he could pick up a whole bunch of them, racing around his head. Could this be the result of Lightning undergoing the 'Experiment'? And he felt that familiar feeling, of his body being put under some unexplained pressure…

"I summon D.D. Protector to the field from my hand!" Blaze announced, and the tendrils immediately ricocheted off a man with long black hair and silver armour, and a shield inscribed with the letters D.D. "When I'm attacked directly, I can Special Summon Protector to the field and cancel your Battle Phase!" Blaze seemed extremely tired, there was sweat dripping down his face. The man with the monotonous voice sighed, sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed. "You're so boring, you know? Why don't you just die…?"

Lightning scoffed, as he walked closer to Blaze's side. It seemed Blaze was down to his last card, against this hideous green monster. It hardly had any features one could call human, it seemed to have a face, with pure black eyes and a gaping deformed mouth. But what was perhaps most striking about it, and most disgusting, were the three pulsating figures inside the monster's stomach. Lightning jumped with fear as one of them screamed and pushed up against the monster's flesh before sitting back down in the green ooze that was eating away at them.

"What the hell is that thing?" Lightning asked Blaze, who panted as he placed his hand over his deck. "It's an abomination that I…we need to get rid of." Once card in his hand. One that would be his ticket to a turnabout. "When I use D.D. Protector's effect, during my Standby Phase of the next turn, I can Special Summon one Removed From Play D.D. monster! I select my D.D. Assailant!" Protector slammed his shield down at the ground as Blaze explained the monster's effect, and a multi coloured portal opened up in the floor. A young woman with similar silver coloured armour jumped out of the portal, and held her giant broadsword in front of her in defence.

"And now for the coup de grâce! I release my two monsters to Advance Summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction!" Slamming the card down on his disk, there was a silence before an ear splitting roar bounced against the walls of the lab, and a black scaled dragon floated down from the air, the red crystals on its arms and legs beginning to shine and create red beams of light. "When Gandora is summoned to the field, I can pay half my life points to destroy and remove from play every single card on the field apart from him!" Crimson beams shot out at every angle, impacting against the floor and blowing it to pieces, tankers that were hit with them cracked open and sent a wave of more chemicals around the floor. There was an almighty bellowing roar from the dragon, and the sound of pure energy destroying absolutely everything in the lab. **"Destroy, Giga Rays!" **The Dragon then sent a final ray at the green monster which pierced its stomach, the human figures spilling out onto the floor.

Blaze pointed a finger at the trio of black clothed men, who had looks of utter despair on their faces. "As you said yourselves, when your Biological Entity Malboro is destroyed, you lose the duel due to its effect!" The Dragon of Destruction then let out a breath of steam, before it gathered its energy for one final blow, launching a large crimson beam at the three, evaporating them in one swift strike, and blowing a massive hole through the rest of the building.

_Duel 4! The Three Who Become One! Victor - Blaze!_

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

"Blaze…" Lightning bent down on his knees. Blaze had fallen to the floor, and was supporting himself by putting his hands in front of him to keep him off the ground. "You know these Experiments are really people…don't you?" Blaze nodded, as he panted loudly. "But those three kids, they weren't human. They were…the product…" Lightning felt guilty for making Blaze explain what happened to him, especially when it was obvious he was at his limit of tiredness. "The three that came from Malboro, those are the true humans." Lightning wondered what he was talking about, and then looked at the three figures that were lying in the pool of green liquid, face down. Even though the hologram had disappeared, they had been left there…

"No…that's not possible…there's no way!" Lightning rushed over to the three and rolled one of them over. Nothing was left that he could recognise as human. The acid inside the Malboro's stomach had burned them to death, and stripped their faces cleanly into only their skulls. Lightning wanted to vomit, the stench of chemicals, of acid, the gruesome corpses, but most of all, the fact that someone somewhere could do this to a human being…it made him sick to the stomach. Holding his hand in front of his mouth, Lightning rolled the corpse back face down, and walked over to Blaze to help him up.

"I know what you're thinking…we need to stop whoever is doing this. It seems we have some time now, so let's search for some answers." Lightning nodded, Blaze had the same idea as him. Together, Lightning helped Blaze hobble over to the laptop, which had remained intact in the corner. Fortunately, it was unlocked. Blaze sat in the chair and used the touch pad to scroll through a folder labelled "Research".

"Here." Blaze said, pointing to a file labelled "Research Notes". They opened it up, and a PDF file began to load, taking them to a table of contents. Blaze read the titles, and scrolled down to the first report.

**Report 1 - 21/01/2033**

Experiment received into care. Real name: "Andrew Fallows". Lost everything in a terrible murder case, including his parents. The trauma was so severe, he apparently believes everything is a dream. On a personal note, I don't see how he'll help out our trial for a new truth serum. I tried talking to him, but got no response. Interestingly, I accidentally dropped a Destiny Hero - Dreadguy card on the floor. He seems to take a particular liking to the card.

"No…" Lightning said, biting his thumb. Blaze looked puzzled, "What's wrong?" Lightning looked down at Blaze, he was hunched over the chair and reading the computer screen at the same time. "It's…nothing. Keep looking." Blaze turned his head slowly back to the screen. "Okay, here's the second one."

**Report 2 - 25/01/2033**

AF has become increasingly insane. He believes he is the Duel Monsters card, Destiny Hero - Dreadguy, and has been sent into this world to bring criminals to justice. The Director has spoken to me directly. Apparently there is not money left to fund a "non-vital" research project such as ours. It might take some persuading, but I'm sure we'll stay afloat. We must…I must.

"Who is this guy?" asked Lightning, still biting his thumb. Blaze clicked the start menu, and a name appeared in the blue bar. "I'd guess it's this guy, Joseph Lowes. I think there's one more report…are you sure you're okay?" Blaze questioned. Lightning nodded and patted him on the shoulder, a sign to continue on. Blaze sighed, scrolling down again.

**Report 3 - 19/02/2033**

Finally obtained much needed funding after changing our research goal. Most of the team is not pleased, particularly Dr. Wells, but it is of no concern to me. We all need a job and the money. The Director was more than happy to hand over the money, which is all that really matters. Today, Project SFTS has been launched. I must say, without sudden inspiration from Fallows' condition, we would have been doomed.

PS. Must find witty joke about changing TS from 'Truth Serum' to 'Transformation Summon'.

"This means…" Blaze sounded surprised, not even finishing his sentence. Lightning nodded, "Yes, it means that Celeste began this project 5 years ago to find the ultimate Psycho Duelist, and Andrew Fallows was their first experiment in realising that goal. And those three boys, that was the second attempt" Blaze looked back to the screen, "But here, it says Transformation Summon…what is that exactly?" Lightning remembered Blaze hadn't been there when Lightning had performed his own Transformation Summon. "It's an artificial technique of summoning Duel Monsters into reality. It's based off a Psychic Duelists ability to materialise monsters into the real world, but it's much more powerful because the person using it _becomes _the monster."

Blaze sighed, this was all getting so confusing. At first, all they wanted to do was rescue the orphaned children that were taken from them, but now it seemed they were wrapped up in something much more sinister, something involving a government sanctioned organisation. "Lightning, how do you know so much?" Lightning procured a data pad from his pocket, with a USB port on the side. He slid it into the laptop and started fiddling round with the touch pad. "Because they told me how to do it when I joined Celeste. Are there anymore Reports?" Blaze rolled his eyes. "Right…no, the rest of them are all corrupted. It looks as if this guy sent them off to some of his colleagues though, judging from his email activity." There was a ping, as the copying and pasting of files finished, and Lightning popped the data pad back in his pocket.

"Speaking of which, what's our activity now? Shouldn't we be fighting off hordes of guards by now?" Lightning shook his head, as he looked out of the window broken window. The sun was beginning to rise up out of the sky. "No, I think we've been lured into a trap." Suddenly, hundreds of tiny computer screens switched themselves on remotely, and a silhouetted figure appeared on it. "How right you are, former Private Lightning." The voice was garbled and mashed up, it was probably being put through a voice altering machine. "Before you ask, I am The Director. I oversee the running of Celeste. I must say, I'm astounded at how much you've been able to accomplish. You've evaded arrest, damaged my property, and worst of all, you know too much. But all will remedy itself in due time."

Lightning raised an eyebrow, what could The Director possibly be talking about? "Oh, you didn't realise? My, I thought ticking bombs were supposed to be ever at the fore front of one's worries. Well, ta ta for now…or forever?" The screens clicked off, and the distinct sound of a ticking clock could be heard. There was then a rumble of noise, and the whole building began to shake and wobble. Lightning looked out the window, and he could see that they were moving. Downwards.

There was no time to waste, Lightning grabbed a card from his deck and held it up in the air. But it was no use, he was too tired. He couldn't call upon the energy needed to transform again. "Blaze, I'm sorry." Blaze pointed out the window. "I wouldn't say we've lost all hope just yet." Lightning turned around, and there was the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. They both grabbed onto their hands, and the Magicians held up their staves and put them together, creating floating hats that bobbed up and down, and playing cards that flew everywhere, along with streamers that appeared from no where. "That's all well and good, but how are we going to esc-"

Lightning opened his eyes, and found himself staring at Sarah's cleavage. He blushed and coughed, getting up off the floor. Sarah smiled at him and curtsied. "Another magic trick…?" Sarah laughed heartily. "I can honestly tell you, that one always comes in handy one way or another!"

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

Back at Sarah's apartment, Lightning was lying on the couch. He had the place to himself, since the others had gone out to buy some food and other supplies. Lightning held the letter he had taken from Andrew's body in his hands, and small droplets of water appeared on the paper.

_I know you probably think this isn't real, but I'm alive. Andrew, I'm alive! I know the police told you that we died, but I was revived at the hospital later on. Apparently, I've been in a coma for five years due to the injuries I sustained. They told me when I woke up that you were taken away by Celeste. But I haven't given up hope. I know that one day, we will meet again. I gave this letter to Dr. Wells, one of the people who looked after me, she said she knew what happened to you. If you ever need a friend, you can talk to her. I wrote a little poem, after I woke up, about what I dreamt of. It doesn't really make sense, does it?_

_In a place I like to call Heaven_

_There's these people I meet, who look like_

_Angels_

_And I can't help but feel_

_That I don't know why you are there._

_-Love you forever, Andrew_

_Mum xxx_


	9. Reaper

Whee, Snow Days! I love them. My school's closed three times this week, I think I heard someone say it's the first time in 32 years it's done that xD So yeah, I found myself with a lot of time recently since school's been closed since Monday, so it gives me a little more time to write. I've also started watching 5D's from the beginning again, since I can sense it's going to come to a close soon. I could get used to having this much free time :P

Thanks to everyone who's been following the story so far, I hope it's enjoyable! Oh, I should probably put up the cards I'm making somewhere, otherwise it gets kind of confusing. So here's the ones from last chapter~

D.D. Protector

LIGHT/Effect/Warrior - 4/0/2000

You can Special Summon this card when your opponent declares a direct attack, and you have no other cards on the field. During your next Standby Phase after this effect has been activated, Special Summon 1 D.D. monster that is removed from the game.

Biological Entity Malboro

DARK/Effect/Plant - 8/3000/1800

Once, when your Life Points are reduced to 0, and there are 1 "Happy", 1 "Sad", and 1 "Melancholy" monsters in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand or graveyard. While this card is face up on the field, you do not lose the duel even when your Life Points are at 0.

Happy

LIGHT/Effect/Angel - 1/0/0

When you receive Battle Damage, discard this card from your hand.

Sad

WATER/Effect/Aqua - 1/0/0

When you receive Effect Damage, discard this card from your hand.

Melancholy

EARTH/Effect/Spellcaster - 1/0/0

When a card you control is destroyed, discard this card from your hand.

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

"It's 6 o'clock, so now it's time for the National News, with Maria Freeman." A pretty, blonde woman stepped out in front of the camera, smiling with pearly white teeth. There was the logo of the Channel 5 News on the desk behind her, which she walked up to and sat behind, shuffling some papers in front of her. "Good evening everyone. We come to you today with our top headline. Following the recent break into the Logisbrugh Research Center, which they have recently been conducting research at, a similar incident has struck the main headquarters of the government endorsed Security Bureau, Celeste. At 4am this morning, police were called out to the headquarters, only to find it razed to the ground, split in two by what seemed to be a bomb on the 30th floor. Police suspect a well organised group is plotting attacks against Celeste, judging by the recent incidents. The Police wish to push charges of arson and mass criminal damage, so if you have any information, please contact the number on the screen now."

Scrolling across the screen multiple times was a string of numbers in yellow text. Pictures then began to flash up on the TV, showing the devastation caused by the explosion. "Luckily, no one was injured." The presenter picked the piece of paper up off the desk, and turned it face down, before shifting another piece in front of her. "In other news, fans of the hit pop sensation Lady Diva will be disappointed that the star seems to be suffering from flu. Doctors are treating her as we speak, but it's been confirmed that the songstress can no longer perform any of her venues for the following few weeks. Event organisers are accepting requests for refunds, so please contact them with your queries."

"Ha, the masses will believe anything you throw at them now a days! Although I do feel a bit bad, betraying my fans like that…" The amazingly beautiful Lady Diva was sitting on Sarah's couch, with her legs up on the wall, her body facing upside side down and her head hanging over the edge of the sofa. She was currently biting into an apple while also trying to speak at the same time, which was spraying apple juice and skin everywhere. Sarah clenched her arm and closed her eyes, perhaps if she ignored the mess it would go away. "It's not your fault. They need some help, and the boss gave this the utmost priority of all our current missions." Diva stopped eating for a second, and shimmied around, placing herself in a normal position. "The boss? I wonder what he's doing, getting involved with people like them…" Sarah glared furiously at the pop star, as she flailed wildly and covered her mouth, the next words coming out of it sounding extremely muffled. "Oh! Don't get me wrong, I mean it's sad what happened to them and all but…you'd think there'd be more important things to do."

Sarah nodded and stood up, looking out of the window in the kitchen. There were the continuously flashing lights of the motorway in the distance, which connected to the next city over. She sighed as she turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter. "I know what you mean…especially with what the boss has planned in the next couple of months. A couple of abducted children just doesn't seem to be as important as the fate of the whole world."

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

"D-Wheel?" Lightning asked, as Blaze opened up the magazine and showed him a picture of a man riding what appeared to be a white motorcycle with a duel disk attached. "Yeah, I hear it's all the rage around the world! There's this company called Kaiba Corporation that manufactured the first prototypes, and started using them in a place called Neo Domino City. Apparently it's so popular over there, they made a whole new type of dueling for it!" Myst sounded extremely enthusiastic as she spoke, that bright smile of hers never seeming to have left. Lightning smiled back and laughed as he patted her on the shoulder. "Alright alright, I guess they are pretty cool if they made a new type of dueling for it…what's it called?" Blaze flicked through the magazine and showed him a picture of a Field Magic card, with a purple background and white streaks across it. "They call it a Riding Duel over there. Apparently you have to use these new cards called 'Speed Spells', because regular Magic cards short out the D-Wheel. It's incompatible with the programming or something like that…"

Lightning nodded as they continued walking towards the shuttle bus station. "Well, I'm sure we'll get some when the opportunity presents itself. I mean, you can hardly call yourself a duelist if you don't even know how to play every kind of duel there is, right?" Blaze nodded in agreement, but Myst looked a bit unsure. "Ummm-I was wondering…if we ever did get one, would you teach me how to duel?" Lightning scratched his head, he had forgotten that Myst had never learnt how to duel, or more appropriately, never wanted to duel. It was a bit strange how she seemed to be so keen on dueling now. "What's changed your mind?" Blaze asked suddenly. Myst looked at him, and then back down a the pavement they were all walking across. "Well it's just…I met this woman, and she seemed to be so independ-"

Myst was cut off as there was a sound of an electronic bell. Up ahead was the shuttle bus that would take them across the motorway to the next town. But it seemed to be departing. Without them. The three of them rushed forward, and Lightning being the fastest, managed to hit the driver's window with his fist, alerting him to their presence. The driver looked surprised at first, but then a little angry, but you couldn't blame him. It was always annoying when stragglers wanted on the bus just after you started to leave. The automatic doors opened and the three of them hopped on, holding onto the bars that were provided since there wasn't anywhere to sit left. The bus then began to leave the station again, pulling out onto the main road, and in the next few seconds heading off to the left that would connect them to a junction, and take them onto the motorway.

It was about 7pm now, and they were half way across the motorway that stretched on for quite a few miles. It bridged the gap over the small opening of sea that separated the two cities. Only until recently had they not been connected, and nobody could travel to the other side except by a boat ride, but only in the last couple of months did the government pay for the refurbishing of an old derelict bridge that use to join the two together, and this was the result. In about half an hour, they would be in the centre of Atire, one of the biggest manufacturers in the country. Almost everything comes from Atire, so when Logisbrugh connected with Atire, there was a big boost in the economy, which was perhaps one of the reasons why the government decided to refurbish the bridge.

Lightning held onto the overhead bar as the bus shook slightly from the speed it was allowed to go at down the motorway. There was a quiet murmuring as people were talking about the events at the Celeste headquarters early this morning. Lightning still couldn't get out of his head the things he wished he didn't know. A question kept coming up, How could somebody do that to someone else? How could you turn people into monsters, and live with yourself afterwards? Blaze looked across to Lightning, he could tell he was still upset. "Don't worry. The lead we have in Atire will give us some more answers." Lightning looked down at his feet. "I'm not sure I really want to know any more…"

Suddenly there was a gasp of excitement, and a few of the people turned around in their seats to look out the window. Lightning, Myst and Blaze looked out the murky windows of the bus to see a motorcycle driving alongside it. "Look, it's a D-Wheel!" one of the passengers shouted. "D-Wheel? What's it doing out here?" another asked, but he was ignored by the crowd who was gazing in amazement, completely enthralled by the new piece of technology. Lightning closed his eyes, he didn't particularly need any distractions at the moment. He needed to focus himself, because Blaze was right, they would need to find more answers to his questions, and ultimately, they still had to save the kids. "Hey what's it doing?" "It's coming closer! See if you can get a look, son!"

Then there was a loud explosion, and a rush of heat. The part of the bus that connected the two halves of it was completely destroyed, and the end half of the bus began to spin wildly out of control, with people still inside. The D-Wheel from before then shot into view, riding behind the front half of the bus, which Lightning, Blaze and Myst were aboard. Lightning noticed the gleam of energy escape from the pitch black D-Wheel, the Duel Disk had come to life with the power of Momentum. The small amount of light from the overhead streetlights reflected brightly off the yellow decals strewn across the motorcycle. Lightning had to make a choice. He turned round, looking at the driver who was absolutely petrified, the screams of the passengers aboard both parts of the bus not helping the situation. "Keep driving!" The driver shook, but heeded Lightning's words and kept his grip on the steering wheel. "Lightning, you're not…!" Myst was cut off again, as Lightning powered up his own Duel Disk.

"**Duel!"**

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

_Duel 5! The Mysterious D-Wheel? Lightning vs. ?_

_Lightning: 8000_

_?: 8000_

The D-Wheeler pressed a button, and a mechanical voice emanated from his D-Wheel. _"Duel Mode, Autop-Pilot On, Standby." _Lightning grunted as the bus shook violently, and the back end of it touched the road, and made a hideous shrieking sound. The man then pressed another button, and Lightning could feel a strange feeling from whatever he had just done. _"Speed World, set, on." _There was a strange purple light that then eveloped the surrounding area, and the external noises of the bus, of the screaming, of the panicking driver seemed to melt away. Lightning glared at the man on the D-Wheel, who's face was protected entirely by the visor on his helmet, which was made out of tinted glass. He drew 5 cards, before announcing the start of his turn. "It's my turn. I summon Blade Knight to the field, and equip him with this." Lightning placed the monster on the duel disk, and the solid vision began to work its magic, producing a knight clothed in silver armor, standing on the bus. The purple world then produced a shockwave, which shot the magic card out of the duel disk and onto the floor. "W-What?" Blaze stood up and pointed at the D-Wheeler. "He activated Speed World…that means you can't activate any other Magic cards apart from Speed Spells!"

Lightning looked horrified, as he looked down at his hand. "You mean…my deck…he's locked down half of my deck?" The D-Wheeler smiled, and drew a card and there was a beeping noise. In front of Lightning appeared a blue display, showing a Speedometer with 12 slots, 1 of them was lit. "What's this…Speed Counters?" Blaze flicked through the magazine at a rapid rate, and opened the relevant page. "Speed World is the Field Magic of choice for Riding Duelists. It prevents the activation of regular Magic cards, instead Speed Spell cards, manufactured by I2 this very year, become the Magic of Speed. During each player's Standby Phase, apart from the first turn of the duel, each player gains 1 Speed Counter, which allows a duelist to activate Speed Spells."

"Riding Duel…" Myst muttered, as she stared at the D-Wheeler. Lightning clenched a fist, screaming at the man. He was fortunately far away enough that Lightning couldn't land a punch on him. "Who the hell are you?" There was a small laugh, and the man let his hand travel up to the collar of his jacket. He twisted it and revealed a small insignia. It was the letter A, written in gold font with two snakes twisting their bodies through the middle of it, and each of the snakes was biting onto a scythe. "No…it can't be…Duel Assassin?" Blaze looked horrified as he spoke. Myst grabbed onto him, and he regained his composure, but there was still a sense of fear in his tone. "Duel Assassins. They target their marks and force them into life or death situations in order to play a duel. Some call them the Grim Reapers of Cards, because they rarely ever lose. And when you lose…" Lightning looked at the man, as he picked a card out of his hand. "You die."

There was a silence as the man played his card, and a monster appeared from the array of light. It had the form of a human dressed in a metallic suit, with an oxygen mask strapped to it's face. The display in front of Lightning lit up, revealing the card to be a Level 2 Effect monster. The man forced a hand forward, and the monster launched itself forward, dashing on the road and gaining momentum. "But, it only has 900 ATK!" The warrior continued forward and did a handstand, before spinning its legs around and kicking Blade Knight away. There was a small explosion produced by the solid vision, and Lightning felt the tingle of electricity to simulate the blow stir in his duel disk.

"That monster…Speed Warrior." Blaze pointed to a card in the magazine. "During the turn it's summoned, you can double it's ATK when it battles." Speed Warrior jumped off the bus and landed next to the D-Wheel, dashing along the road to keep up with it's controller, who set two cards in the Magic and Trap zone.

_Lightning: 8000 _→ 7800

_SPC: 1_

_Duel Assassin: 8000 (Speed Warrior)_

_SPC: 1_

Lightning grunted, as he drew his card, and there was another ping. He looked at his hand…he still couldn't believe Magic cards were blocked from usage. "I hate to ask…" He said dryly, "but what are the life and death conditions of this match?" The Assassin smiled, pointing downwards. Lightning looked to where he was pointing, and could see flashing objects attached to the remains of the connecting part of the bus. "Explosives…so when my Life Points reach 0, I…and everyone else on this bus will die." The D-Wheeler smiled again, and revved up his D-Wheel. "I-I can't let that happen! I summon Justice Bringer!" Another warrior appeared on the field. The golden swords in its hands shone brightly, as Lightning pointed at Speed Warrior. "Battle! Justice Bringer, attack Speed Warrior!" Before the warrior could even lift it's sword, the Assassin had already pressed a button on his Duel Disk, flipping one of his face down cards face up. "That trap! It's in here too…Reverberating Sonic. It negates an opponent's attack…" Blaze said, as he opened up the magazine once more.

Lightning cursed as he picked up a card, and placed it face down. "I end my turn…" There was another beep, and another Speed Counter was gained by both players. The man held the card he drew in his hand, and placed it on the duel disk firmly. Tune Warrior appeared on Lightning's display. "A normal monster with 1600 ATK…what's he planning?" The D-Wheeler smirked, as he pressed a second button on his D-Wheel, and he sped up, Tune Warrior jumping into the air and turning into 3 light green rings that began circling Speed Warrior. "Wh-What is this?" Myst asked. Synchro Summon appeared on the blue display in front of Lightning, as two stars formed in the middle of the rings, and a column of light came down from the sky. **"Synchro Summon?"**

The Assassin began laughing again, as he held out a hand as a new monster stood next to him. "That monster…**Synchro Monster**." Blaze said, as the magazine slipped out of his hands and hit the floor with a thump that echoed in the quiet world of Speed. "Appear, Sonic Warrior!" the voice of the Duel Assassin was finally revealed, and then a laugh echoed around them, augmented by the purple Speed World. Lightning stared at the warrior, with similar armor to that of Speed Warrior's. It wore a scarf that fluttered in the wind, and it let off steam out of the joints of its grey armor every few seconds. It's red goggles flashed in the dim light, as it dashed along the road next to the D-Wheel. _With half my deck cut off, how am I supposed to win...? And that monster, a Synchro Monster...I think, this is the first time I've ever thought I would lose completely..._

_Lightning: 7800 (Justice Bringer)_

_SPC: 3_

_Duel Assassin: 8000 (Sonic Warrior)_

_SPC: 3_


	10. Life or Death! The Knight that Saves All

Sorry for the massive wait between each chapter recently. I've got a busy personal life, and this is my final year at school before I go to university, so I've got exams, tests and revision galore. School work has to be my number one priority right now, so I won't always get the chance to write for this, but I'll try to not leave it too long =(

Kirei: The main character can't always be invincible, can they? xD Besides, Lightning's lost a few times already, but I suppose not in a duel yet. He's only really won through duel cancellations so far.

_Lightning: 7800 (Justice Bringer)  
SPC: 3  
Duel Assassin: 8000 (Sonic Warrior)  
SPC: 3_

"Sonic Warrior, a Synchro Monster." Blaze looked down at the magazine, which had a double page spread of the monster in front of them, and paragraphs analyzing the effect, and opinions on what it added to the card game as a whole. "Synchro Monsters are the new type of cards produced this year, alongside Speed Spells, to signal the evolution of Duel Monsters. By utilizing a Tuner Monster, and 1 or more non-Tuner monsters, you can Synchro Summon a Synchro Monster as long as the levels of the card add together to equal the level of the Synchro." he quoted. "Sonic Warrior is the first ever Synchro monster released. It's such a limited edition card, there's said to be only a handful around the world…"

The Duel Assassin smiled, letting go of the D-Wheel's controls as it drifted on auto pilot for a while. "They told me my mark was pretty uncultured, but I'd never have thought you hadn't seen a Synchro Monster before. But I guess that's what you get for living in the Underground. I don't know who you've made such a stir with, but somebody definitely wants your head. The reward they've put up for it is testament to that." Lightning looked at the Assassin, the light of the overhead street lamps reflecting off the tinted visor. Even his true voice was being hidden, manipulated by a voice changer, just like The Director. "So you don't know who sent you?" The Duel Assassin shook his head, but Lightning wasn't convinced. If this man had hired an Assassin, he must have met them face to face. But there was another question on Lightning's mind. "Could it have been someone from Celeste?" The Assassin laughed at Lightning heartily. "Oh, good one kid. Even if you had caused trouble for Celeste, they wouldn't put a bounty on your head. Although they're dirty enough scumbags to do it they'd just get rid of you through their own ways. Efficiency savings and all that, they wouldn't bother wasting money on something they could do themselves."

Lightning looked worried, and rightly so. Somewhere out there, somebody other than Celeste wanted him dead. And he had no idea who or even why. The Assassin could see Lightning was deep in thought about why anybody would want something to do with vermin like him. It caused another smile to creep up upon the Assassin's face. "But now's not the time to be thinking about that, kid. You've got me here and now to deal with, and it looks like you're going to be leaving this world soon. Sonic Warrior's effect activates! When it is Synchro Summoned, I can destroy one card on your field." The dashing Synchro monster's eyes gleamed, and it jumped in the air, descending down on Justice Bringer with a mighty kick. But Lightning's monster parried the attack and thrust the monster backward. Lightning's eyes narrowed and he snapped out of thought, and he held out a hand to explain what had just occurred. "Not a chance! Justice Bringer's effect activates, once per turn, I can negate the activation of an effect of one of my opponent's monsters that was Special Summoned this turn." The Duel Assassin laughed again, as he pressed a button on his D-Wheel. "Good going, you've got to entertain me a little bit at least! Trap card, activate! Synchro Strike!" An aura shot out of the card he had just activated and enveloped his Sonic Warrior, who let out a battle cry. "Synchro Strike adds 500 ATK to my Synchro Monster for each Synchro Material monster used to make it. I used 2, so that boosts its ATK by 1000! Battle!" The monster dashed forward, so quickly that it disappeared from Lightning's view. He was looking up, down and around, but it took him a few seconds to realise that the monster had been standing in front of him the whole time, clutching Justice Bringer by the neck. "Pulverising Crusher!" The monster squeezed down hard, and Lightning's monster exploded, sending a large rush of energy through his duel disk to simulate the large loss in Life Points. The bombs at his feet began to blink violently, almost as if they were linked to his Life Point counter.

_Lightning: 7800 _→ _6100__  
SPC: 3 _→_ 2  
Duel Assassin: 8000 (Sonic Warrior: 2400 _→_ 3400)  
SPC: 3_

Lightning staggered backwards as the bus swayed from side to side. There wasn't much time left before the driver would lose control, and everyone would die anyway, regardless of if the bombs went off or not. "Before you ask," the Assassin began to speak again. "Your Speed Counters drop by 1 for every interval of 1000 damage you take. Not that you have any Speed Spells to use them with, anyway." He smirked again, as he slowed down slightly to back away from the bus, placing one card face down on the field. Sonic Warrior released the aura surrounding it, its attack points returning back to their original value. The bus continued moving violently in either direction along the roadside, and Lightning could see flashes of distraught faces of drivers on the road next to the bus, but they were keeping clear of the lane that the D-Wheel was in. Everyone behind him was cowering in fear of death. Lightning hoped for a miracle as he placed his hand on the top of his deck. He needed this to be a monster, otherwise he would be completely defenceless. But even then…could he pull it back?

"It's my turn."

_Lightning: __6100__  
SPC: 3  
Duel Assassin: 8000 (Sonic Warrior: 2400)  
SPC: 4_

A pulse of energy rippled through Speed World and pushed the Assassin back. He looked confused, but quickly regained his position. Lightning smiled, as he set all the cards in his hand face down, bar one. "Now, I summon my ace monster! Show yourself, Swift Knight Gaia!" Cars started to drift apart, as a man on a lightning quick horse bolted towards the bus. Weaving in and out of lanes, it kept in line with the duel. "It can be summoned when it is the only card remaining in my hand. Now…I end my turn." Blaze and Myst gasped, even though Lightning had summoned an incarnation of his ace monster…it was all for nothing. Sonic Warrior's attack points were higher by 100 points, and the Duel Assassin still had quite a lot of cards in his hand to use next turn. But Lightning's confidence didn't waver. "Heh…you're a riot, kid. Sonic Warrior, Pulverising Crusher!" Sonic Warrior then ran to the left, heading for the Swift Knight. It jumped on the roofs of cars trying to speed away from the clash, the Solid Vision left imprints on the tops. Using the moon to cover itself, Sonic Warrior descended on Gaia from above. "Reverse card, Jar of Greed!" Lightning drew a card, but the Synchro monster was still headed for Sonic Warrior. Suddenly, Gaia launched itself from it's horse and headed straight for Sonic Warrior, thrusting a spear forward that left a visible silver line in the sky, as if it had ripped the world apart. The Assassin made to activate a Trap card from his Graveyard, but Gaia flew towards him with great speed before he could pull the card out and use it.

"Next, Trap card, Martyr's Flag!" Gaia continued further onward, heading straight for the Assassin. "By sending one monster from my hand, Gaia's attack points double in power!" Gaia shouted a war cry. Lightning could hear a faint whisper in the background, just like the other times he had used Gaia and he felt a bit queezy and groggy. _My Master, I will not fail you! _Gaia's spear shattered the Assassin's helmet, but he pulled away as soon as he felt the impact was real, which meant no damage was done to his face. There was large thuds on the road as the debris of the helmet began to fall and scatter, smashing into car windows behind the D-Wheel. The Assassin cursed, holding up his hand to cover his face. He turned his D-Wheel around, but not before shouting. "Don't think this is over, scum! Psychic powers or no, I will see you in hell!" He then sped away into the darkness, leaving Lightning, Myst and Blaze with some time to think.

_Lightning: __6100__  
SPC: 3 (Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight: 2300 _→_ 4600  
Duel Assassin: 8000 _→_ 5800 (Sonic Warrior: 2400)  
SPC: 4 _→_ 2_

**-DUEL CANCELLED-**

Lightning snapped back to reality as Speed World disappeared, and the shrieking of metal and the violent shaking of the bus forced him to think hard and fast. Up ahead through the shattered windscreen, Lightning could see they were heading straight for a building with no way to stop. "Gaia!" _I will comply, Master. _The Knight dashed forwards on his horse, quickly gaining speed and making his way to the front of the bus. Placing his hands against the bus, the horse disappeared from underneath him, and Gaia was left pushing the bus with his bare hands, while the armour around his feet scorched the road and made even more noise. The bus began to slow down greatly, but it was far too late to stop it completely. The world drifted into darkness. For people standing outside the warehouse in Atire, the sudden fiery explosion was quite a shock. The glass in the windows of neighbouring buildings shattered instantly, spraying harmful fragments on pedestrians in the street. Within a few minutes, the Public Security Maintenance Bureau was crawling all over the place. A rather dumpy man stepped out of the car driven by one of the officers. He folded his hands behind his back, and stepped over the rubble to the scene of the crash. He chuckled as he picked up the Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight card that was lying on top of Lightning's unconscious body. "Hee hee hee…I heard that Psychic duellists were powerful…but to think he managed to cause a crash, such devastation, now that is something. Transport him and his friends to the nearest hospital, then we'll deal with him when wakes up."

One of the officers stopped to salute the man, and immediately ordered a group of other officers with stretchers to place Lightning, Myst and Blaze inside ambulances. The dumpy man flicked open his priceless golden pocket watch, checking what midnight hour it was. "We have 10 minutes to erase all evidence of misconduct before they arrive. And I mean **erase****." **The man pointed to people who had been walking in the street near the warehouse. They had been given shelter in a tent set up by the Bureau. The officers looked at each other, and there were a few hushed whispers, but they had to abide by their superior's orders. For the good of the people, it was better that the few be sacrificed. There were no screams, no gunshots. The fates of those ordinary people who had been touched by Lightning's life, were now extinguished. They dreamt no more.

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

"Sir." A tall man in a dark blue uniform gave his boss a handful of photos. The man's faced winced as his eyes fell upon the grotesque scenes of burnt bodies and people crushed under the weight of pieces of rubble. He sighed and handed the photos back to his underling. He took off his hat and pushed his hand through his hair, his eyes downcast on the ground. "Such a sad scene. With no witnesses either, we'll have to put this down to another accident." The younger officer, looked disgruntled and angry. "But sir! This is the third time this week that we've come upon scenes like this, and everything is just…off." The older man raised a hand and silenced the young officer. "I'm sorry, but it's not like we have any evidence of anything else taking place. We can't launch investigations based on hunches from low ranking officers…ah-" The young officer nodded furiously. "I see, so we'll just let the lives of the families of these people be ruined, all because we can't do anything without going by the book. I understand exactly what you mean…Sir." He stormed off and left the old man to contemplate what he said. The old man ruffled his moustache and flipped open a wallet, containing a police officer's badge. His ears picked up the wailing of sirens that he managed to ignore because he was so use to them. "I said too much…" He whispered softly to himself, before travelling across the street to a teary eyed man and his two children. "I'm sorry Mr. Stephens. You're wife…she, she's one of the victims of this crash. She died in the explosion…" The man burst into his tears, grabbing hold of his children as they wept with him too. For all the years that Richard Locke had been in service, this was one of the few times that his heart had truly been so wrenched, that he let a tear roll down his cheek.

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

"What do you mean you let him get away…?" A shadowy figure sat in a well decorated, ornate room next to a TV screen. The dim light of the TV was all that illuminated the darkness. The volume was muted, but the picture clearly showed breaking news of a major incident in the city, with a toll of death in the bottom corner. The flames from the warehouse that appeared on the screen added an orange glow to the room. Clicks and clacks from a chessboard could be heard, as the man in the leather armchair moved about some of his chess pieces. The chair was facing away from the Duel Assassin who was bending down on his knees and looking sorrowful. "I'm sorry, but he managed to shatter my helmet by dealing real damage, so I wasn't prepared for that. And it even states in the Assassin's Code that those who reveal their faces to marks-" The Duel Assassin jumped up. Chess pieces were strewn along the floor and there was a lone fist lying on the chess board, having just struck it violently and causing the shocking noise. "I don't care about your stupid codes and rules. I. Want. Him. Dead." The Assassin nodded slowly, getting up and beginning to open the giant oak double doors that lead into the study. There was a well dressed footman standing outside the door, arm outstretched with a silver tray. He walked inside, carrying the tray with delicate pieces of china ware that formed a tea set and set them down by the table next to the leather armchair. The Assassin continued walking forward but he stopped and turned around, remember what he had said to his mark just before he had been forced to retreat. "I know I don't really have a right to ask, but…why do you want him dead so badly?" There was a silence, and more clicking and clacking from the chess board. Steam rose up from the cup of tea that the servant was pouring for his master. The cup disappeared from view and the Assassin could hear the sipping of tea, before a reply came to his question. "Because in Death…there is Life."

Sonic Warrior  
EARTH/Synchro/Effect/Warrior - 5/2400/1500  
1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters  
When this card is Synchro Summoned, destroy 1 card your opponent controls.

Reverberating Sonic  
Normal Trap  
Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate that attack. While this card is in your Graveyard, if a Sonic Warrior you control would be destroyed by battle, you can remove from play this card to prevent it.

Martyr's Flag (this card appears in Aki's Duel in Episode 016)  
Normal Trap  
Activate only during your opponent's Battle Phase. Tribute 1 monster you control or send 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard to double the ATK of all Warrior type monsters you control until the End Phase.


	11. Dyed Images

**Message from the Author**

I noticed last time that I tend to write paragraphs in big clumps, which makes it hard to read and a little boring. I guess I was always used to writing like that, because in my English classes our teacher always taught us to write like that.

So I'll try and hit the enter button a little more freely and break up the big walls!

An update on life in general…I've got two university choices sorted now! So if I get the grades, I'll be going to either one of two places (I live in the UK btw - no info disclosed so I won't get any weird stalkers :P). But that means I have to work even harder if I want to go where I want, so I guess that means this might suffer a little. But, c'est la vie. On with the fiction!

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

_Where am I?_ This is a common question that most people ask themselves when they have no idea how they ended up in a certain place. But for Lightning, the question was even more pertinent. He was sitting up in a hospital bed, looking across to the other side of the room. The walls were bleached white, and smelt of disinfectant. The room was kept quite clean and simple, but that made it all the more boring to be in. For a few moments, he just sat in silence letting his eyes look around the room. Soon, a nurse entered and approached his bed with a pile of bed sheets in her hands. She looked to Lightning and noticed he was awake.

"Oh you…you aren't supposed to be awake yet." Lightning thought it was a strange thing to say to a patient in a hospital, and he noticed the nurse had dropped the bed sheets on the floor and put her arms behind her back, but for no apparent reason. He gave her a weird look and got out of bed, looking around the room again for his clothes. The patient's gown he was in was a good way to keep some modesty, but wasn't exactly his preferred choice of vestments. The nurse was slowly backing away towards the door as Lightning drew closer. "Hey, nurse…" The door burst open suddenly and three large men in tight black suits rushed into the ward. The nurse screamed and ran behind one of them, cowering in fear. The three men held up guns to threaten Lightning and circled around him.

"Thank God you came! I thought he was going to kill me…!" Lightning noticed the nurse had a panic button in her hand that had obviously been connected to an alarm. One of the men demanded he put his hands up slowly into the air, and Lightning had to comply. From behind, another of the men grabbed his hands and forced them down to his waist and locked them together with a pair of handcuffs. He then pushed him forward, and Lightning stumbled and fell over in front of them. They grabbed him by the neck and brought him back to his feet, pushing him forward again and again until he started walking.

They travelled to the other side of the hospital in complete silence, and Lightning felt nervous and completely helpless. He had so many questions running through his head, about his friends and about his fate. He looked up at one of the men, and they sneered and forced him to stop. They swiped a key card through a detector, and the white automatic door slid back. It revealed a small room, kind of like a penthouse. But as Lightning walked past the entrance he could see a sign reading 'Waiting Room'. It was completely devoid of people, except for a little plump man sitting in one of the armchairs. The men who had brought Lightning to the room unlocked his handcuffs and pushed him down into a sofa opposite the armchair. Two of them sat down on either side of him, while the third stood by the door.

The small man finished reading his pocket watch for the time, and put it back in his top pocket. The chain dangled out and swayed from side to side. "About time we met face to face, Vincent." Lightning paused, and looked severely surprised. "How do you know my name…my real name?" He asked. The small man brought a hand to his face to stifle his small bout of giggles, and clicked his fingers once he finished. A projected screen appeared on the glass wall, listing an extremely detailed report of one man, Vincent Wilson. "Did you not expect that would we look into the past of those that we bring into our custody? We strive to reach for excellence. Nobody, no matter how seemingly insignificant, gets past one of our identity checks." Lightning looked up and down the report as the screen scrolled past different sections, and his eyes scanned the large reports on recent activities, his current situation and his past one as well. Lightning turned to face the man, still wary of the bodyguards on either side.

"Just who are you people…? Why are you interested in me?" The man had another burst of giggles and calmed down once again, this time getting up out of his comfortable armchair and surveyed the scenery outside the windows. It was pitch black, which was expected for the time of night. Still however, the city of Atire was dotted with many dim sources of light and it seemed the energy of the city hadn't stopped flowing one bit. There were loud noises coming from the construction works going on across the road, and a large smoke haze had built up over the skyline, thanks to the constant use of the factories which pumped out their harmful pollutants. "Atire, such a special city. Some people call it the 'City That Never Sleeps'. It's always working, always expanding. If you come here, it's very easy to get lost in the crowd. I wonder…" The man started to pontificate on something, and strode back and forth with small steps.

"You didn't answer my question." The man shot a steely glare at Lightning, and stopped pacing. He remained at the windows, still looking out into the bleak, grim night. "Mr. Wilson, I think you do not know the precarious situation you find yourself in. We currently have the power to **erase** your very existence from this planet. Do not raise your tone at me. For one thing, I brought you here so that I might ask you some questions, not the other way around." Lightning wished he could respond, but he felt uneasy at the man's threats. He had survived death once before, but that was thanks to his friends being there. On his own, he didn't think he would be so lucky…

"So, back to the matter at hand. I wonder…if your very objective was to come to this city to become part of the crowd…" The man sat back down, a cheerful little grin on his face, despite having just given Lightning a not so veiled threat. Lightning could feel himself squirming under the stare of the man's ruby red eyes. "N-No, that's not it at all." The man looked cross, and dragged the projection screen across to his lap, while at the same time shrinking it down to the size of a clipboard. "But according to our reports, you were recently the cause of the incident at the Celeste Headquarters in Logisbrugh, were you not? Didn't you think it would be wise to hide yourselves?"

Lightning wondered if it had been a bit foolhardy to not hide from prying eyes for a little while, but they were short on time from what they had gathered. "Well…the reason we came here was because we wanted to find someone. Someone connected to Celeste." The man nodded, taking even more interest in Lightning. His red eyes were locked on to Lightning and didn't shift to anything else. Lightning adjusted the position in which he was sitting. "Yes, do go on!"

"Well, we're looking for a researcher by the name of Dr. Wells. I thought she might work here, since there's a large need for research and development in this city." The man stopped smiling and his fingers fidgeted on their own. He tried to mask this odd behaviour by getting up out of his seat again and walking to the opposite end of the room. The projection that had been in his hands returned to the window. As he walked past, Lightning could hear the faintest whisper: 'So you're part of that group then…'. He stopped walking when he reached the man in the black suit by the door, and turned around to face Lightning once more.

"Thank you for your time, Vincent. It was a pleasure meeting you." Lightning looked a little confused, and got up out of his seat. Both men next to him did the same, and walked in front of him, standing by the wall opposite the glass windows. They were joined by the one who kept lookout on the door. "But wait! I have questions of my own!" The man giggled again, and looked away from Lightning. Due to his small stature, Lightning could hardly hear what he was saying to him. "I think you misunderstood, Vincent. You don't have the time to ask questions; in fact…you don't have the time to do anything right now. Fate is soon going to bed, and that means he will have to put out his candle."

"You mean…!" The man nodded. "It's such a shame. But the easiest to kill are those without parents. Especially orphans from the Underground. Take solace in the fact that at least you'll die before you hit the ground." Lightning turned to the three men who had raised their guns, and each fired one bullet. By the force of the impact, Lightning was tossed out of the window which shattered the instant he touched it and his cold lifeless body fell the whole 20 floors to the bottom of the building. In his last moments, before he reached that point though, he could see something different about his profile on the glass window.

_Name: Vincent Wilson, Alias: Lightning_

_Occupation: Ex-Celeste_

_Status: DECEASED_

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

Blaze and Myst sat in the reception to the hospital, waiting to check out. They were each covered with quite a large amount of bandages and plasters, which protected their wounds from outside elements. After a couple of minutes of waiting, they got their chance. The nurse they talked to smiled, and was a pleasant person to talk to. She handed them their belongings and sent them on their way. Exiting through the automatic double doors, they came outside and were greeted by the noxious fumes of the city. The sun was beginning to rise over the skyline that was littered with tall structures that tried to pierce the skies. Together, Blaze and Myst walked for a small while, then found a bench to sit down on and discuss their plans.

"It seems we've gotten split up…" she said to Blaze, resting her hands on her chin and watching people coming out of their city apartments to go to work. "Did you find out which hospital Lightning was transferred to?" Blaze's question was greeted with a shaking of the head. "Well there's not much we can do…we've already tried his phone and it's just ringing out. I guess he must still be in a bad state." He then realised his mistake, as Myst started to look distraught. He quickly recovered the situation by putting a positive spin on their circumstances. "Ummm…we're lucky though, that somebody found us so quickly, and got us the medical attention we needed. I hope we find them, to give them our thanks."

Myst made an agreeing grunt of a noise. There was a moment of silence, and then a rumbling. Blaze stared at Myst, who was clutching onto her stomach, and was doubled over. "Hungry, huh? Guess we haven't had much time to eat lately…especially when we've had more important things to think about." Blaze reaches into his trouser pocket and brought out his wallet. Myst looked up, a little surprised by his suggestion. "Let's get some breakfast."

_**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**__ a little, and the world shall change._~

Blaze and Myst sat down on the hard wooden chairs provided for them at a table that was next to a window. The quaint little café they had entered had the smell of different kinds of foods wafting around. On the table, Blaze set down the cup of coffee and chocolate muffin for himself, and the cup of tea and bowl of muesli for Myst. He took one look at Myst's bowl of oaty things swirling in a sea of milk, and recoiled in disgust. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff. Does it even taste of anything?" Myst picked up the spoon and started to shovel it down. Even she didn't enjoy the flavour. "It's not about the taste…" she muffled in between mouthfuls, "it's about the reward of keeping healthy by eating the absolute spawn of the earth."

He gave her a quizzical look. "Do you even need to keep healthy like that? You do a lot of exercise anyway…" Myst set the spoon back down on the table, and shoved the empty bowl away from her. For the way she kept going on about manners sometimes, she sure did eat like a pig. Wiping away the splotches of muesli that had dropped onto the table, Myst began to speak. "You should know me though. I've always been a health freak. Plus I used to eat worse things when I was younger…" She took a sip from the cup of tea, and reclined back in her chair as much as it would allow her. Blaze held the cup of coffee in his hand.

"You're right…I should know you. But I really don't. We used to be good friends as kids, but then I escaped that place because I was chosen." Blaze was talking about the abomination of society that was the Underground. For most people living in the world, it was a pleasant enough life, even in smog ridden places like the city of Atire. But what most people didn't give thought to, were the countless thousands of people living in squalor below the cities. "Nobody really knows how that started, do they?" Myst shook her head. She looked out of the window, noticing a park across the street.

"There are countless rumours on the internet about how it came around, but yeah, nobody really knows for sure, not even people who come from it, like us. The government's got a tight control on the information surrounding it. All anyone knows is that coming into contact with people from the Underground means trouble." He nodded in agreement with Myst's response. They had to be careful around people, because one slip of the tongue and there would be chaos. "People are so easily manipulated, even in this day and age. They'll believe anything that is fed to them, as long as it concerns their own selfish wellbeing."

Just as Myst finished, people started gasping, and both of them looked to the TV. On the TV screen was the national news channel interrupting the weekly showing of The Steel Samurai. Red banners were flashing along the bottom and top of the screen with the words 'Breaking News'. The newsreader looked up to face the camera and delivered the grave story. "This just in, a large team of police SWAT officers have surrounded a building in the middle of Patrios Square in the city of Atire. It has been confirmed that inside the building is a refugee from the Underground. A security team has cordoned off the building to protect everyone from the spread of infection, and we've been told by a reliable source that the infestation will soon be exterminated. We'll bring you more news as it arrives."

Before the small news break finished, pictures of a clean glass building flashed up in a cycle. One of the images was of a man looking horrified and surrounded by police officers in big white contamination suits. "Case in point…" Myst sighed deeply. Blaze took another sip of coffee and crossed his legs under the table, placing his free arm nonchalantly over the table. "The Big Contamination, right? It's what everyone believes happened to the people in the Underground, and why they are there. In everyone's eyes, we're just sources of an incurable disease that must be purged. Why if people had their way, we'd just all be killed in the middle of the nigh-" Myst slammed the table furiously and several faces glanced over at her. "Stop talking like that!" She was looking down at the floor, but it wasn't hard to tell the reason she wasn't looking at Blaze was because she had tears in her eyes.

"Sorry - I got a bit carried away…" There was an awkward silence between the two, and the café was filled once again with inaudible speech of its patrons. Myst finally spoke up, once she dabbed away the tears. "We didn't choose to live there. It was only because my parents were born there and so was I…then…then they tried to escape and got killed. All for my sake, to make a better life for me." She could see the ghostly images flash in her mind, of her parents running for a giant gate, and soldiers appearing in front of Mist, guns at the ready. "I wandered the streets for days, not knowing what to do, until I met Lightning. He was the same - well, he was worse off. He didn't even have any parents, he was just left there as a kid. But the day I met him…my life changed. For sure. I can tell because…well I'm here now, aren't I? I escaped the Underground, with his help."

She stood up from the table, and looked out the window to the beautiful rays of sunlight. "My fate's been changed…I know it. It's been left in my hands so that I can choose what to do with it. And I say that we're not going to let anybody ruin our lives anymore! Blaze…let's find Dr. Wells. For the sake of those kids…" Blaze nodded, and walked beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She grabbed it, then turned around and hugged him, which caught him by surprise. But he still wrapped his arms around her, and let her be peaceful for a few moments.

"You're right about that, you know. Our fate is one that we decide." Myst nodded, but then looked up to meet Blaze's gaze. "Oh, sorry. You said before that you were chosen…I didn't give you a chance to let you talk about it…" Blaze waved his hand. "No it's fine…a story for another time. Let's get going." He took off his deep red trench coat to reveal a very well defined body. Myst hadn't really noticed before, but Blaze had changed a lot from when he was a kid that they used to play with. It wasn't only the fact that he a nice, normal life on the surface, but also that he seemed totally different from how she remembered him…

When they took their first steps outside, the pair were stopped by a couple of men dressed in heavy black clothing, even in this particularly hot weather. Myst stood back, she sensed something was wrong. "Uh, can we help you guys?" Blaze asked. One of the men revealed a gloved fist that promptly showed a small insignia that both of them had seen before. The letter A, written in gold font with two serpents intertwining and biting onto two scythes. Myst gasped and Blaze pushed the men away, giving them a small gap in which they could act. "Myst, run!" But the second of the men grabbed onto Blaze and locked his arms in place. He tried to struggle, but it was useless because the man had caught him from behind.

"Don't try and resist." A distorted voice escaped into the air. The street they were in was strangely devoid of people, and the park Myst had been watching through the windows of the café was lifeless too. The only remaining people were the ones inside the café, and the surrounding buildings. "We've got a preposition for you." Blaze broke free and elbowed the man in the side and he slumped to the ground. But almost as if the blow was nothing, the man just stood up fully. They held out there forearms in front of them, attaching duel disks and powering them on. "What makes you think we'll accept?" The Assassin that replied defined himself by having a scarf wrapped around his bottom half of his face, and big blue sunglasses covering his eyes, as well as a blue hat to cover the remaining part of his identity.

"Because the lives of the people around you hang in the balance." He shuffled in his pockets for something, and pulled out a small, metallic device that started blinking. He tossed it up, and it attached itself to the café's outer wall. The second man, who Blaze could see was wearing a similar pair of sunglasses but had his trench coat collar fully pulled up over his face to cover it, tossed another of the instruments onto the building. On the flaps of his coat's collar, Blaze could see the small two number twos embroidered in gold font.

"Those are…" The two men nodded. "Bombs." The one with the blue glasses continued on. "Not just ordinary bombs, either. Despite their small size, they're filled with a powerful explosive reagent. I'd say one of those is roughly equal to 10 equivalent tonnes of cemtex." Blaze nearly fell to the floor at the comparison. Just who was this group, which was willing to throw away the lives of innocent people just so that they had a bargaining chip? "And when this duel starts, they'll be linked to your life point counter by a resonance device. Pretty swish, right?"

Blaze grunted, and forced his duel disk out of its standby mode. A two on one advantage, as well as the lives of the people in the café as added pressure…he wasn't quite sure he could make it out of this one. _Where's Lightning when you need him? _Myst stepped forward and held up a deck of cards in front of her. "Don't you dare think I'll standby and let this happen again…no way!" Blaze looked astonished. "But Myst…you've never dueled, you don't even have a duel disk!" One of the assassins giggled, the distortion of his voice making it sound extremely high pitched. He reached into his trench coat and pulled out a duel disk, tossing it to Myst's feet.

"Myst, I can't allow you to-!" Myst cut him off by giving her a look. Determination. "I control **my fate." **Blaze sighed and took up his position, standing just outside the café's doors. "When you put it like that, I can't ever refuse you." Myst nodded and stood a few feet apart from him. The two assassins giggled to themselves and walked to the opposite side of the street. "Just for reference…" The one with the blue glasses jiggled them about in his hand. "I'm Blues." The other one ruffled his collar and placed his hand on his hat. "And I'm Twos."

Blaze was about to declare the duel, but Myst spoke up over him. "An added condition." The two men looked surprised, even under the layers of clothing. "A…condition?" Myst nodded and threw her mobile phone into the middle of the street. "If you win, you get access to my phone, which has Lightning's number on it." Blaze's eyes widened, as did the tag team Assassins'. "But if we win, you tell us just who the hell sent you, and what you are." Blues and Twos looked at each other, and whispered to themselves. Finally they reached a decision.

"Well, it's never been done before…but it's not against the rules either. You're on, girly!" Myst looked as calm as ever, as she placed her deck and let the automatic shuffler randomise her deck. "My name is Myst." Blaze walked over to her and started silently shouting at her. "Are you out of your mind? Why would you bet something like that…?" Myst gave him a glance to cool him off, and her words certainly were persuading. Blaze returned to his position, and began mulling over the words she had said to him. He ran his fingers through his hair, and stared at the phone in the street.

"We have nothing left to lose, so let's go all out. Or do you actually think we might stumble here? I'm not giving up so easily, not yet."


	12. Born to Live

Author's Note: Hello! It's me Hebi! Yes that's right, I didn't die. I just had a bit of a rough time since last posting for this fanfic. School got harder and harder, so there just wasn't any time to post chapters for this, let alone write it. I eventually got to the summer, where I had an enjoyable time until I got my exam results. Although I passed all my exams, I didn't get the grades I needed to go to the university I wanted to. So that kind of left me depressed, and a bit unsure of where my life was going. Naturally, I kind of gave up on this. But after a few months, I'm now back on track. I've started writing again, and I've got a definite place to go to for university this year (even though I'll maybe be a year older than everyone else). I'm sorry for leaving this abandonned for like, half a year, but at last I've finished the next chapter.

Some notes here, I got pretty far into the first half of the duel, but then I read Six Samurai Zanji, and noticed his effect actually activates only if he attacks, not when he is attacked, so since I can't be bothered to change it all, I'll just errata his effect so that it makes sense for this duel. I hope you enjoy reading.

_**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change._~

"**Duel!"**

"It's my turn!" Blues said, a confident tone in his voice. Drawing a sixth card and adding it to his hand, his fingers were already drifting to one of the cards in his possession.

"I'm summoning Zanji of the Six Samurai!" A man clad in golden armour appeared in a crouched position on the field. Perching on his shoulder was a large spear like weapon with a sharp blade where the tip of the blade would usually be.

"After that, it's two face down cards and the End Phase." Blues pointed at Blaze, who took his turn. There was only one monster in Blaze's hand that could do the job of defeating Zanji, so his fingers wrapped around the card and he placed it on his duel disk.

"I summon Different Dimension Knight in attack position." From a portal in the ground, a young warrior with bright white armour appeared, sword and shield in hand. On the curve of the sword, the initials D.D. were written. Blues smiled and swept a hand across one of his face down cards, which revealed itself to be Slip Summon. Out of the blinding flash that was released came another Samurai that hid behind Zanji, aiming at Blaze's monster with the longbow in it's hands.

"This Trap can be activated when you summon a monster, and it allows me to Special Summon one Level 4 or lower monster in my hand to the field, but that monster returns to my hand at the End Phase and it is also summoned in defence. The monster I summoned is another of the Six Samurai, Yaichi the Archer." Blaze could tell Blues had a wicked smile on his face, even though his features were hidden by the high collar on his jacket.

_He's trying to distract my attention and stop me from running over Zanji…is that right? Yaichi's in defence and returns to the hand at the End Phase, so what's the point of targeting it when I can attack Zanji and deal damage? That move makes no sense…_ Blaze held up a hand and pointed a finger at Zanji. The Knight paused, and ran the edge of his blade along his fingers, before he leapt into action and charged at the Samurai.

"With 1900 ATK, D.D. Knight attacks and destroys Zanji!" Blaze shouted, triumphantly. But that smile still hadn't disappeared from Blues' face, and his hand swept out across the field again. In a flash, Zanji had put the Knight in a perilous situation. It had used it's weapon to block the attack, but since it was crouching down on the ground there was no way the Knight could block a counterattack with its shield due to the fact Zanji was far too close.

"Trap card, open," Blaze's ears picked up faint snickers from Twos, who realised what was going on, "Fleur Guard." Pink petals began to fall from the sky, and in the following events, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

"This card prevents one of my monster from being destroyed by battle this turn, but don't think that's the end of everything." Blues tapped Zanji's card on his duel disk, as the petals continued to cascade from the heavens. "While another Six Samurai monster exists on my field, Zanji gains a special effect." At that moment, Zanji flew into motion and winded D.D. Knight by punching it in the stomach. Now paralysed, Zanji was free to kick the Knight to the ground and stab him viciously with his halberd.

"When a monster battles with Zanji, that monster is destroyed regardless of attack points." The petals from the trap card were swept away by a cold wind that passed through the area, as Zanji removed his halberd from the corpse of the Knight. It was now covered in blood, which was dripping onto the street. "I call this combo: Cherry Blossom Suicide."

**Blues & Twos: 8000 → 7900**

_Zanji ATK:1800 & Yaichi DEF: 800_

**Blaze & Myst: 8000**

"How disgusting" all 3 men looked to Myst, who was staring at the hologram, which was now starting to fade away. Blues smiled, as all Blaze could do now was set 2 cards face down and end his turn. Yaichi disappeared from the field too, returning to Blues' hand. The scarf wrapped around his mouth twitched, and the faint etches of a mouth started moving under the fabric.

"Your turn, partner." Twos took the top card of his deck, adding it to his hand. He seemed to be mumbling to himself, and his fingers kept moving every which way until finally he secured a card in his hand and placed it on the duel disk. "This one will do! Shade of Darkness, Kumo!" Out of the spiralling vortex of rainbow energy, came a charming little fox with a kunai, a Japanese knife-like object, between it's teeth. "When this card is Normal Summoned, I can discard 1 card from my hand to make you discard 1 card from yours! Miss, if you will please…" Myst looked over her hand, sending The Sanctuary in the Sky to the graveyard.

"Now, the card I discarded for Kumo's effect will be revived! Come on, Rider of Shadows, Danku!" A shadowy figure jumped out of a portal that emerged from the ground, landing in front of it's controller and kneeling on the ground. It pulled down the hood that covered its face to reveal itself to be a tiger. Twos then snapped both his fingers, and the two monsters jumped into the air, spiralling around each other before Kumo turned into 3 green rings of light and Danku into 2 white stars. "I'm performing a Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Guardian of Treasure, Meiku!"

A bright light in the sky shined, and suddenly a large panda dropped to the ground from the sky, shaking the street with its mass. It was covered in white ninja robes, and it held its forearms in front of itself to signal it was in defence position. A rainbow coloured monitor flashed in front of Blaze and Myst to show it's DEF, a strong 2200. Myst looked down at the cards in her hand, already she only had 5 instead of a normal 6, thanks to that monster's effect. Was that what his deck was about?

"I'm activating a Field Magic card, Reborn Sanctuary. This card can be activated when The Sanctuary in the Sky is in the Graveyard." There was a smile on her lips, as the two Assassins realised they had actually helped her instead of hindering her. From the ground erupted massive white stone pillars and a temple appeared on the horizon behind Myst. It was all of Greek architecture, and stunningly beautiful. Vines and various other plant life dangled down from a various amount of places, and there was a large fountain in the middle of the tag duel.

"Now I can discard an Angel monster from my hand to activate this card, Heaven Blast. This card deals damage to you equal to the level of the monster x300." Myst placed Bountiful Artemis in the graveyard, and a large blast of white energy came from the card she had played and enveloped the two men. Fake smoke from the solid vision was now pluming off their clothes. At that moment the fountain in the middle of the field began to overflow with water, and Bountiful Artemis emerged from the ground, and stood in front of Myst. It's large, synthetic wings then broke in two, and were replaced by shining white, organic ones, and it began to fly in the sky. From the heavens came a ray of sunshine, and another Angel replaced Artemis: Tethys, Goddess of Light.

**Blues & Twos: 7900 → 6700**

_Zanji ATK:1800_

_Meiku DEF:2200_

**Blaze & Myst: 8000**

_2 Reversed Cards_

_Tethys ATK: 2400 & Reborn Sanctuary_

"What just happened…?" Blaze mumbled. Myst looked over to him, and he was struck by the look on her face…he had never seen anything like it before. All this time; she had been at the sidelines of everything, she was the one who had to wait while Blaze and Lightning put their lives on the line, she was the one who always felt helpless because she couldn't do anything, she was the one who was jealous of Sarah and Lady Diva because of how they were such strong women…that look was one of someone who wished to make a difference in the world, and wanted to protect those close to her. That was the look, of a **true Duelist.**

Myst's face changed into another of her usual smiles, and she started to explain what had just taken place. "Once per turn when Reborn Sanctuary is face up on my field, I can remove from play an Angel type monster, and Special Summon an Angel type monster from my hand who's level is equal to or lower than that monster's plus one." Tethys flew next to Myst's side, wrapping her wings around Myst. She felt a certain warmth from the cards, even though it was all just an illusion.

"I'm entering my Battle Phase! Tethys, attack Zanji! Goddess's Pulsar!" Tethys flew straight up into the air, hovering over the fountain of the Sanctuary, and held out a hand in front of her. White lights began to dance across her palm, and a small ball of spiritual energy formed. She then blew a kiss to Zanji, blowing the ball of energy towards it, and upon contact it exploded, destroying the monster. Blues grunted, and their life point meter dropped even further, giving Blaze and Myst a definite advantage.

**Blues & Twos: 6700 → 6100**

_Meiku DEF:2200_

**Blaze & Myst: 8000**

_2 Reversed Cards_

_Tethys ATK: 2400 & Reborn Sanctuary_

"I set 1 card face down and end my turn." Blaze nodded at Myst, she had done amazingly well for her first duel, even better than he was doing now if he was honest. Since when did she learn how to duel? However he didn't have time to think about that, as Blues began his counterattack.

"Don't get too hasty now, my dear. We're only just starting off this duel. Magic card, Dynamic Entry!" Zanji's halberd then flew in and stabbed the ground from the air, and not long after, Zanji himself appeared, jumping onto the handle of his signature weapon, and making a dramatic re-entry.

"This turn only, Zanji will be revived, but he'll be destroyed at the end phase. Now, it's time for Yaichi!" The archer from earlier before returned to the field, standing behind Zanji and aiming his bow at one of Blaze's face down cards. Blaze hesistated for a moment, looking over to Myst who had a worried look on her face. He decided that best course of action...was to let the effect go through without interruption.

"These legendary warriors, the Six Samurai, cannot activate their effects without another of their comrades on the field. That's why earlier, I had a little trap for you that destroyed your monster." Blues chuckled slightly, the voice amplifier making it sound all the more creepy and murderous. Yaichi's released an arrow from his bow, hitting the reversed card and splitting it in two. Blaze took the card out of his duel disk and revealed it to everyone, Macro Cosmos.

"Blaze?" Myst was absolutely aghast. She knew her friend well enough to know that without using cards that could remove from play, his deck wouldn't reach it's true potential. And it seemed Blue and Twos knew that fact quite well too, since Blues was cackling madly.

"Ahahahaha! Dear me..." He coughed, wiping fake tears from his eyes, or rather his giant sunglasses. Blues pulled back the right sleeve of his overcoat, revealing a smart looking watch attached to his wrist. When he poked it, a blue augmented reality display appeared, containing a block of writing. Although he couldn't make out the words because it was back to front, Blaze could see his face on the screen.

_Name: Blaze (real name unknown)_

_Age: 21_

_Height: 5"11_

_Occuptation: None_

_History: Although a well hidden fact, he was born in the Underground. He is childhood friends with fellow victim Lightning and Myst. Escaped the Underground when he was a child via the help of adoptive parents. Their motive for such kind genorosity is unclear. Is currently trying to save a group of children taken by Celeste. He can always be seen with his signature fire red coat._

_Deck Profile: Relies on the use of Macro Cosmos to augment the effects of his Different Dimension monsters, and ultimately power his Helios chain. Has a strong passion for alchemy like cards. Has many trump cards, such as Gandora the Dragon of Destruction and Helios Trice Megistus. _

"So, with that Macro Cosmos gone, your deck has lost a whole lot of its power. I wonder why you did that...?" Blaze grunted, his fake questions weren't the only thing that annoyed him...it was also how easily they seemed to know almost everything about him. Blues clicked his fingers and pointed at Myst.

"Ah, I get it! It's because your deck relies on the Graveyard..." Blues then moved his finger over to Blaze. "...and your deck relies on the Removed From Play zone! Wow, it's a wonder how you two can even function, let alone have a chance to win this duel." Ashamed, Blaze lowered his head. They had figured out the reason why he wasn't dueling his best, and why apart from one reversed card on his field, it was empty. It was all so that Myst's deck wouldn't suffer, and she wouldn't be forced to make decision a beginner just couldn't.

"You idiot..." Myst muttered, shaking her head. Blaze felt even worse, now Myst probably realised that he thought she needed all the help she could get, that she wasn't able to win without him looking out for her...

"How are we going to defeat them if you keep secrets from me? We'll work as a team, because that's what we are, right?" He looked up to see her beaming face, that signature smile she always used to wear. It filled him with hope. He got back to his feet, and stared at Blues, who was apparently yawning.

"Right, moving on. Thanks to Dynamic Entry, when a new Warrior type monster is summoned, my Zanji gains that monster's attack! Pretty cool right? 1800 +1300 makes...3100!" Yaichi put his hand on Zanji's shoulder, and a powerful aura encased Zanji, wrapping around his halberd. He jumped into the air, using the sun as cover to stop Tethys from counterattacking.

"Battle! Zanji attacks your Goddess!" It didn't take long for Zanji to descend and rip up Tethys. Since the halberd was so large, it even hit Myst. Not being used to the effects of Solid Vision, it actually hurt quite a lot...

**Blues & Twos: 6100**

_Zanji ATK: 3100 & Yaichi ATK: 1300_

_Meiku DEF: 2200_

**Blaze & Myst: 8000 → 7300**

_1 Reverse Card_

_Reborn Sanctuary & 1 Reverse Card_

"Thanks to Yaichi using his effect in the Main Phase, he can't launch an attack. What a pity! Now, I'll be placing one card face down, and as I mentioned earlier, Dynamic Entry's effect takes place, destroying Zanji at the End Phase, however..." Zanji nodded at Yaichi, who looked solemn. Suddenly, the archer exploded, leaving Zanji all that was left behind.

"The bonds between my warriors are stronger than you might think. When one is to be destroyed, another Six Samurai may take the death blow instead. Worry not, Yaichi! You'll one day return." Myst struggled to her feet, still reeling from the impact. She was amazed at the man's combo between his monsters and his magic, leaving him in a comfortable position with a nearly undefeatble monster while they had none at all. Not to mention, the fact that Twos had left her without a hand.

"That must be it..." Blaze looked at her with worried eyes as she spoke. She had finally understood the reason they had challenged them to a tag duel, instead of two individual duels. It was because... "...because your decks work together so well. The Six Samurais defeat any monster in battle with their effect and their brute strength, and those monsters destroy the opponent's chance to fight back by locking down their hand."

"Seems you've worked out our strategy." Their attention diverted to Twos, who had been pretty silent for the past few minutes. "And thanks to the lackluster combination of your decks which focus on entirely different things, and also the fact your girlfriend there only just started, I'd pretty much say this is all but won for us." Myst looked really embarassed, not because he was calling her unskilled, but because he mentioned being Blaze's girlfriend.

"T-That's not true! You can't say for sure what will happen...all we know is, we can't possibly afford to lose! And with that determination, we're sure to cause a storm." Twos simply shrugged his shoulders and scoffed. "People across the world make wishes, but do they ever come true? What makes you think you can be so arrogant to say you can change the way of the world? Face the facts! You might have the lead in Life Points, but even that won't last long."

"My turn!" Blaze cut across Twos defiantly, drawing a card to start his turn. Of course, with one of the most important cards in his decks destroyed, he didn't really think he could do much. But when he looked at the card he had drawn, a smile formed upon his face.

"You think you know everything about my deck don't you? But there's a way, a way I can remove my cards from play without intefering with Myst! Here we go! I activate Alchemy Made to Order! This Magic allows me to remove Macro Cosmos from the Graveyard, and in turn activate this Continuous Magic card from my deck!" As he began to speak, a large piece of scaffolding appeared behind him, and a small goblin like creature was moving around quickly, placing materials everywhere and banging on things with a hammer. With lightning speed, it had finished almost at the same time as Blaze finished talking.

"This Magic card is Alchemic Kettle – Chaos Distill! Its special effect allows me to remove from play any card that would be sent to my Graveyard." Myst nodded, and Blaze smiled at her. Now they were able to go on two different paths, but still help each other. "Now I'll play Different Dimension Destroyer in defense mode, and proceed to the End Phase." The monster appeared in front of Blaze, aiming to protect him from further damage. However...

"What's the rush? How about we make it the Battle Phase instead?" Myst gasped as she began to read the card Blues had flipped face up, Stand Off! "This reverse card, Stand Off!, allows me to pick one of my opponent's monsters that was summoned this turn and switch it to Attack Mode, and force it to attack my monster." Twos started laughing as D.D. Destroyer launched itself at Zanji, only to be cut in two and allow Zanji to rush at Blaze and strike him square in the stomach.

**Blues & Twos: 6100**

_Zanji ATK: 3100_

_Meiku DEF: 2200_

**Blaze & Myst: 7300 → 5200**

_Alchemic Kettle – Chaos Distill &1 Reverse Card_

_Reborn Sanctuary & 1 Reverse Card_

A ghostly shadow appeared over Zanji however, and grasped onto him. He tried to struggle, but a portal to another dimension opened and dragged him inside. "So D.D. Destroyer destroys a face up card when it is destroyed and removed from the game, huh? Still, we've gained the advantage either way." Blues smiled. As he had tried to do before, Blaze was forced to end his turn with no monsters to defend either of them.

"My turn. I end my turn." Twos said, almost instantly after drawing his card. Needless to say, the strange move left both Myst and Blaze in shock. Surely he was supposed to deal them even more damage, now that they had no monsters on the field. But there he stood, as emotionless as before while Blues was laughing at their struggle to try and best them.

"Guess it's my turn...I dr-" Meiku yawned, distracting Myst. Twos then shrugged his shoulders once more. "You can't do that. Meiku's effect, when I end my turn without using my Battle Phase, the opposing player can't draw a card at the next Draw Phase." Myst looked down at the remainder of her hand...which was none.

"I've stopped you from playing anything at all this turn, Myst. Unless of course that Reverse Card can do anything, but I think it probably hasn't met it's conditions yet, right?" She grumbled, she wanted to say something to rebuttle him, but he was right. This turn, she couldn't do anything at all.

"Haha, you should have used D.D. Destroyer's effect to kill off Meiku, but you got careless! This is why we got paired together you know, I destroy anything via battle, and Twos here prevents you from making a comeback. Now it's time for my turn, and I'll only be dealing you further damage!"

Blues picked up the top card, and sighed. "This will be so boring, not having anything to challenge me, but whatever. I Normal Summon Elder of the Six Samurai." The elderly warrior appeared in attack position with a measly 400 ATK. "Then I use this Magic, Asceticism of the Six Samurai to Special Summon a Six Samurai with equal attack, but a different name from the deck. That will be Kagemusha of the Six Samurai, a Tuner Monster!"

Blaze and Myst knew what was coming next, another Synchro Monster, something that seemed to be exclusive to these Duel Assassins. "See the Shogun in his younger days, challenging those beyond his limits! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Legendary Six Samurai – Shi En!"

A strong, demon looking samurai appeared out of the flash of light and stood in front of Blues. "Battle. Shi En attacks you directly." Blaze looked to Myst, who knew she had to do something, otherwise their Life Points would drop dramatically. "Reverse card, open! Miraculous Descent! This card allows me to Special Summon an Angel from the-" Blues simply interrupted her.

"Shi En's effect. I can negate a Magic or Trap card once per turn. Nice try, but you fail once again." Before the Trap card could even fully open, Shi En had slashed it in two. He didn't waste any time in bringing his sword down upon Myst, making her stumble to the ground once again.

**Blues & Twos: 6100**

_Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En ATK: 2500_

_Meiku DEF: 2200_

**Blaze & Myst: 5200 → 2700**

_Alchemic Kettle – Chaos Distill &1 Reverse Card_

_Reborn Sanctuary_

"This is really boring, isn't it Twos?" His partner nodded his head, agreeing whole-heartedly with that statement. There was a large beep, and the explosives that were attached to the cafe flashed rapidly. "It seems they're reacting more violently than we thought, I think if you take any more damage, they'll explode, wether you lose or not. Wouldn't you say, Twos?" Again, the silent figure nodded.

"I guess the last thing you'll remember before you die is that you failed to live up to our expectations. Sucks doesn't it, to know that you can't even duel well in a life or death situation?" Myst was still lying on the ground, not even trying to get back up. It seemed she had given up all hope, and that was probably the right thing to do. What could they possibly hope to achieve? Myst didn't have any cards she could use in her hand, and the only card on her field was Reborn Sanctuary. On top of that, she couldn't even draw next turn if Twos didn't attack. All that remained was Blaze's cards, and from the looks of things it seemed he couldn't do anything either. He was forced to use that Alchemic Kettle card when a lot of his cards actually revolved around Macro Cosmos, and it was all because of her that he couldn't use it earlier.

"Reverse card, open." Myst lifted her face to see Blaze tapping a button on his duel disk, and revealing a Trap card. What was the point though? Nothing they could do would be able to save them now. The opponent's had the clear advantage, and their decks worked much better together than theirs could...

"Back to D.D." Her eyes widened as she realised what that card could do, from what she remembered of the way Lightning and Blaze had dueled. "When I take damage from a Direct Attack, I can Special Summon Different Dimension monsters from the deck who have ATK equal to the damage received. I could Special Summon multiple monsters at this point, but I'm only going to choose 1."

Blues laughed once more. "One monster? How will you change the tides with one monster? It won't even have higher attack than my Shi En!" Blaze ignored him, picking a card from his deck, and holding it in front of him reversed so that the back was facing Blues and Twos. "You don't understand."

It was Myst who spoke, picking herself up off the ground and returning to her spot. "This card will change everything!" Blaze nodded, revealing the card to his opponents. "When the gauntlet is laid down, the power of courage gives me hope! Beautiful White Wings! I Special Summon, Hope of D.D., Luthica Knight!"

A proud warrior woman emerged from the portal in the sky, landing on the ground with grace. She had elegant blonde hair, and gorgeous blue eyes. She was clad in armor, inscribed with the signature D.D. that all Blaze's cards had, but there was something much more stark, the fact that she had white wings formed from ethereal energy on her back. They grew larger and larger, until she drew her sword and slashed the air in front of her.

"Luthica's ability can only be activated when she's summoned, and she's the only monster on my side of the field. With her power, she'll rid every monster on the opposing side from the game!" The air that Luthica had slashed started to warp and break up, as if she shattered reality itself. The two monsters that belonged to Blues and Twos were suddenly sucked into the distortion and trasported to the Different Dimension.

Blues looked down at his hand, or lack thereof. He had used every card he owned to summon Shi En in and effort to make a huge gap they couldn't recover from, but it had actually been reversed, and now they were the ones in the bad position.

"My turn! Luthica attacks you directly!" The D.D. Knight picked up her sword once again, and with a mighty roar slashed at both Blues and Twos leaving them with much reduced Life Points. Both assassins fell to the ground, the Solid Vision proving too much to simply shrug off as if nothing happened.

**Blues & Twos: 6100 ****→ 3600**

**Blaze & Myst: 2700**

_Hope of D.D., Luthica Knight ATK: 2500 & Alchemic Kettle – Chaos Distill_

_Reborn Sanctuary_

Struggling back to their feet, the two assassins had to catch their breath while Blaze ended his turn by setting the only two cards in his hand face down. Twos drew his card for the turn, and looked uncharateristaclly worried. Of course, with such a large hand, he should be able to overcome these two mediocre duelists and win the duel this turn...but something bothered him. It was the look of determination in both their eyes.

"I activate the Magic card, Death Synchro!" Twos pushed the card into his duel disk, and a grim reaper like figure appeared, circling around him. "This card allows me to Synchro Summon from the Graveyard by using half my life points as a cost!" The grim reaper struck Twos with his scythe, ripping out the souls of Meiku and Shade of Darkness, Kumo.

"I'll stop at nothing to achieve what I want! Ninja hidden in the shadows, show your true form! Synchro Summon! Break Out, Stealth Dragon Hayabusa!" The whole street suddenly filled with an eerie fog, and hidden away out of view, both Blaze and Myst could make of the figure of a humanoid dragon.

"Hayabusa's effect! While you have no cards in your hand, he gains double his original attack!" With a large roar, an aura suddenly surrounded the dragon, powering it up to the max. However, a Magic card also appeared next to it. "I won't take any chances! Magic card, activate! Pinpoint Strike!" The dragon ninja suddenly rushed forward, and aimed at Blaze's reversed cards with his kunai.

"This card can only be activated when I have a Level 7 or higher monster on my field, and it allows me to prevent you from activating up to 2 face down cards this turn! Say goodbye to your only chance of winning!" Hayabusa struck at the cards, but was repelled by a magical barrier.

"Trap card, open. Alchemy Barrier – Yggdrasil Force! When a card targets a Spell or Trap card I control, I can negate the activation of that card and destroy it!" Hayabusa was forced to retreat and return to it's master. However, it only prepared for another strike, this time at Luthica.

"I don't care! I'm finshing you this turn! Stealth Dragon Hayabusa, attack Luthica Knight! Void into Nothing!" However, Luthica stood her ground, her white wings flapping strongly, blowing up a wind that swept away the fog the Stealth Dragon had summoned. When it was revealed, Myst knew Blaze would defeat the monster.

"And you called us arrogant just a few minutes ago. What a hypocrite! Final Reverse Card, reveal!" When the trap card opened up, a flash of light transported the duelists into a place resembling the cosmos. Luthica was locked in a struggle with Stealth Dragon Hayabusa, in what appeared to be a representation of the Different Dimension.

"This Trap will be the key to our victory, Struggle for D.D.! When a monster attacks my D.D. monster, I can remove both from the game until my next Standby Phase. When that happens, both monsters are returned to the field, and whoever has the higher attack monster deals damage to their opponent equal to the attack of their monster." Twos looked shocked, but realised that they would eventually win.

"What difference does it make? You only have one turn left, and it belongs to that girl who has absolutely no chance of winning! Even if Blue's doesn't finish you next turn, Hayabusa has 3000 ATK, so you'll lose anyway! You just doomed yourself!" Myst shook her head, as she drew a card. She understood what Blaze had been trying to do all throughout the duel, and she would definitely return his feelings, in the form of victory.

"You don't understand at all, but I guess you wouldn't. You don't know how to act like team mates. It's true your decks might work together, but you two don't even try to help each other, I bet you don't even truly trust each other! Blaze and I have a bond, a bond so strong that he's willing to risk the whole duel for me. It's only natural that the cards and I will repay his kindness! This is it! The Climax Turn!"

Myst raised her sole card into the air, and slammed it on her duel disk. "Magic card, activate! Reborn to Life!" Angel feathers began to fall from the sky, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the overcast clouds up above them. From the light came Myst's final monster, her ace card.

"This Magic card can only be activated when Reborn Sanctuary is face up on the field, and I have no other cards on the field. I can Special Summon one Level 8 Angel type monster from my deck, then it gains attack equal to that of an Angel in the Graveyard! This is it, Splendid VENUS!"

The Planet series card descended down to earth, the ray of light fixated on her prescence. Tethys' spirit appeared behind her, and filled her with a holy power that raised Venus' ATK to well over that of the opposing team's life points.

"You're done!" Venus raised her hand, and fired off a blast of holy energy. "Supreme Goddess' Pulsar!" The blast struck true, with no Magic, Trap, or Monsters to interfere with their undeniable victory.

**Blues & Twos:**** 3600 → 0**

**Blaze & Myst: 2700**

_Reborn Sanctuary & The Splendid VENUS ATK: 5200_

**DUEL VICTORY: Blaze and Myst**

After the fake smoke had cleared, their duel disks deactivated, and all that was left were the two men, their pride broken as Assassins. Blues got to his feet, and helped up Twos. The explosives that had been attached to the cafe dropped off, having been deactivated as soon as Blaze and Myst had won the duel.

"Well done...I guess." Myst was a bit surprised, since it seemed the Assassin's voice changers had switched off as well, and the voice belonging to Blues sounded a lot different than the one she was used to hearing. "You've brought yourself some respite for a while. But remember this, no matter how many of us you defeat, one will always rise up to one day kill you."

Twos then threw a small device on the ground, which filled the street with a thick smoke. Blaze could hear the loud footsteps of the two men getting further and further away, until once the smoke had cleared, they had obviously left the area. Myst sighed, and slumped to the ground.

"That was way too close. But I knew we wouldn't lose. Even if they had though..." She got up and walked onto the road, retrieving the mobile phone. She opened it up, and pressed the contacts button on the screen. "They wouldn't have gotten Lightning's number. This is my old broken phone." Blaze looked at the screen, and noticed that the screen had glitched up, and was listing every number between 0000000 and 9999999.

He laughed while Myst giggled, and they shared the relief of their victory together under the warm rays of the sun, now that the clouds had parted and the beautiful blue sky could now be seen once more.

_**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change._~

On the outskirts of the city, a woman was busy making tea in her kitchen. Her house was fairly nice, well porpotioned and kept well maintained. Since it was outside the main city, the area it was in was actually fairly green, and not as unclean as the streets of the city center. Trees blew gently in the summer's breeze, and birds tweeted and called to each other.

In the kitchen, the woman was standing at the counter, stiring the tea after she had just added some milk. She looked in the window, and noticed her reflection. Tutting to herself, she adjusted her jet black hair until it looked perfect, and wiggled her red glasses until they fell into the place she wanted. She noticed her lipstick was starting to fade, so taking it from the top pocket of her brilliantly white lab coat, she applied more, and puckered her lips until she was satisfied with the shade of red she had chosen.

Walking over to the cupboard, she opened the door and reached inside for some biscuits, opening the packet up. Some crumbs spilled on her, and she exclaimed in anger, wiping the crumbs off her black top and skirt. She shook her red high heels too, to get any residue off of them. Placing the biscuits on a plate, she placed the plate of biscuits on her arm, then carried the two cups of tea in each hand, and walked into the living room.

"Sorry for the wait." She said, placing one cup of tea down on the coffee table in her living room, and then walking to the sofa and sitting down, reaching over to put her tea and the biscuits down too. "So, I'm Dr. Wells, as you probably remember." She picked up a biscuit and crossing her legs, bit into it.

"I was at your testing, if you noticed." She brushed more crumbs off her skirt, then bent over to take a sip of her tea. Her top squeezed against her clevage, if she wasn't careful, some unmentionable things might burst out. "Yes that's right, Experiment #605." She lent back onto the sofa, relaxing in her well furnished abode.

"Do you remember that...**Lightning?"**

_**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.~__**Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change.__**~Dream**_ _a little, and the world shall change._~

Next Chapter: What could possibly be going on? Dr. Wells has made her appearance, and is that...Lightning? Isn't he supposed to be dead? Myst and Blaze will be happy, but will they remain that way after discovering more of each other's pasts? What about Lady Diva, Sarah and The Steel Samurai? And with the foreboding words of the Duel Assassins, "no matter how many of us you defeat, one will always rise up to one day kill you.", can any of the characters hope to remain safe?

Please join me next time, for the next sequence of DREAM!

This Chapter's Key Card:

The Splendid VENUS

LIGHT/Angel/8 – Effect/2800/2400

All non-Angel-Type monsters lose 500 ATK and DEF. The activation and effects of your Spell and Trap Cards cannot be negated.

Custom Cards that appeared in this chapter:

D.D. Knight

LIGHT/Warrior/4 – Effect/1900/1000

Once per turn, during your opponent's Battle Phase, this card can negate an attack from your opponent's monster if you control another D.D. Monster.

Shade of Darkness, Kumo

DARK/Beast-Warrior/3 – Tuner/Effect/500/200

When this card is Normal Summoned, you can discard 1 card in your hand to have your opponent select a card in their hand, and discard it

Rider of Shadows, Danku

DARK/Beast-Warrior/2 – Effect/300/100

When this card is discarded by a card effect, Special Summon this card to your side of the field.

Guardian of Treasure, Meiku

EARTH/Beast-Warrior/5 – Synchro/Effect/1800/2200

1 Shade of Darkness, Kumo + 1 Non-Tuner Monster

While this card is face up on the field, during your opponent's Draw Phase, if you did not enter the Battle Phase last turn, they cannot draw a card.

Reborn Sanctuary

Field Magic

You can only activate this card if there is a The Sanctuary in the Sky in your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can remove from play an Angel type monster in your Graveyard to Special Summon 1 Angel Type monster from your hand with a level equal to or lower than that monster's level +1.

Heaven Blast

Normal Magic

Discard 1 Angel Type monster. Deal damage to your opponent equal to its Level x 300. If this card is in the Graveyard during your Draw Phase, you can add it your hand instead of performing your normal Draw.

Dynamic Entry!

Normal Magic

Special Summon 1 Warrior Type monster from your Graveyard that was destroyed by battle. That monster is destroyed at the End Phase. If you Normal Summon a Warrior Type monster, the monster Special Summoned by this card's effect gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK.

Alchemy Made to Order

Normal Magic

Activate only if Macro Cosmos is in your Graveyard. Add 1 Alchemic Kettle – Chaos Distill from your Deck to your hand, then remove this card from play instead of sending it to the Graveyard.

Stand Off!

Normal Trap

Activate when your opponent Normal Summons a monster. Select 1 monster you control, and 1 monster your opponent controls that was Normal Summoned this turn. If those monsters are in Defence Position, switch them to Attack Position. Your opponent must enter the Battle Phase this turn, and must attack the monster you selected.

Back to D.D.

Normal Trap

Activate when you take Battle Damage from a Direct Attack. Special Summon a "D.D." monster(s) from your Deck with (combined) ATK equal to the damage you received.

Hope of D.D., Luthica Knight

LIGHT/Angel/7 – Effect/2500/2000

When this card is Normal or Special Summoned, and it is the only monster on your side of the field, you can remove from play every monster on the field except for this card.

Death Synchro

Normal Magic

Pay half your Life Points. You can remove 1 Tuner and 1 Non Tuner monster from your Graveyard to Special Summon a monster with a level equal to those monsters' Level combined. This Summon is treated as a Synchro Summon.

Stealth Dragon, Hayabusa

DARK/Dragon/8 – Synchro/Effect/3000/2100

1 Shade of Darkness, Kumo + 1 Non-Tuner Monster

When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can discard a random card in your opponent's hand. During your turn, if your opponent has no cards in their hand, this card's ATK becomes double its Original ATK.

Pinpoint Strike

Normal Magic

Activate only when you control a Level 7 or higher monster. Select up to 2 Set Magic or Trap cards on your opponent's field. Those cards cannot be activated for the remainder of the Duel.

Alchemy Barrier – Yggdrasil Force

Normal Trap

Activate when your opponent targets a Magic or Trap card you control with a card effect. Negate the activation of that card and destroy it.

Struggle for D.D.

Counter Trap

Activate when your opponent attacks a monster you control, and the only monsters you control are "D.D." monsters. Remove from play the attacking monster and the attack target. During your next Standby Phase, return those monsters to their owner's side of the field. The player with the higher ATK monster deals damage to their opponent equal to the ATK of their monster removed from play by this card's effect.

Reborn to Life

Normal Magic

You can only activate this card if Reborn Sanctuary is on your side of the field, and you control no other cards. Special Summon 1 Level 8 Angel Type monster from your Deck. It gains ATK equal to the ATK of an Angel Type Monster in your Graveyard, until the End Phase.


End file.
